My guess is that your Oleander has caught the "Oleander Blight" or
"leaf rust" that has been spreading from SoCal across the South to
Texas and eastward. Your description sounds like it. What you are
seeing is not freeze damage, but this (assumed) bacterial infection.

I have read otherwhere on the Net that there is no cure, and the life
expectancy of the plant/bush after infection is 2 years. My 15' bush
has been following this track. Nothing to do with freeze.

Pruning doesn't help. Even pruning with disinfected (and continually
disinfecting) sheers has not been helpful from what I have read...

I read that Texas A&M had possibly identified the pathogen, but I have
read of no cure over the last 6 months... I see numerous dead and
dying Oleanders all around Williamson county, TX. Looks like a plague
on Oleanders...


jac wrote in message ...
Thanks very much..
I'm glad to hear they come back fast, and thanks for the toxin warning. I knew about
the toxicity for animals, but I never thought about it for myself.. much thanks
jac


animaux wrote:

On Wed, 12 Mar 2003 17:01:20 GMT, jac wrote:

Hi folks;
during the freeze a couple of weeks back, a hedgeline of Oleanders got
bitten fairly well. Now some of the leave are turning brown and some of
the major limbs are still droopy. What is the best way to turn them
around? Should all "obviously" damaged limbs be cut back? How far?
thanks for any advice someone can offer.
jac


Cut it back till you have green. You can cut it back to the ground and it
should come back. There is a pathogen which is putting oleander in decline in
the Austin area.

Last year my oleander was 6 feet tall and froze to the ground. I cut them back
and they were 6 feet again by the end of last year's growing season. My answer
to you is to cut it back however far you must to see green in the stems. Remove
everything dead, including leaves which turned brown. Don't leave it as mulch,
get rid of it, but don't burn it or rub your eyes and wear gloves. There is a
pretty strong sap which can be and usually is toxic.