On 5/11/2013 12:15 AM, Danny D wrote:
On Fri, 10 May 2013 20:26:13 -0400, Norminn wrote:

Forgot the link: http://okeechobee.ifas.ufl.edu/MG34800.pdf

Nice PDF. Interesting that the name comes from looking similar to
olive leaves and bay laurel leaves, both of which grow well on my
property so I'm intimately familiar with both.

You do know that oleanders are poisonous?

Interesting that only 10 grams of leaves can kill an animal
via an effect similar to that of digitalis.

The article says "direct contact with people should be avoided".
What does *that* mean? Clearly one wouldn't eat the leaves,
although I do suck on a bay laurel leaf or two while hiking.

But, what's direct contact. Is trimming 100 yards of tall bush
considered direct contact? I certainly hope not.


Contact is touching, eating or breathing - think poison ivy. You might
be able to prune without touching, but sure would not dive into the
shrub to cut by hand. Chainsaws are nice. From what I have seen around
the 'hood in Florida, people tend to allow oleander to become overgrown
and then get out the chain saw (usually hired help). They are hard to
kill there, and cutting down severely doesn't seem to harm them. As
with many other shrubs, cutting out 1/3 of the oldest limbs/branches
each year keeps them fairly full and easier to trim.