Cameron - there are many Oleandars in the Raleigh area - with added winter protection I am sure you will be OK. I am in Johnston County and have had one for two years now. I do have it in a container and only pull it into the garage on really cold below freezing nights - the garage is detached and not heated. I plan to get another one and put it in the ground.....

Lynne

I don't know about 'Sister Agnes', but I've had 'Hardy Red' in the ground for several years. Good drainage is very important, and if you can give it some protection from winter winds that's probably a good idea too. Mine is in less sun than it should be but still flowers.

I did see some oleander here in Raleigh recently, planted at a gas station at a busy intersection.

I tried it a few years ago. I provided good drainage, but I think it couldn't tolerate the part shade conditions of being packed in next to the neighbor's tall privet.

If I were going to try it again, I'd assume it would be best next to a dark brick wall on the south side of the house.

Cameron, I would try them in a reasonably sheltered area, esp. from the wind. I wouldn't try to make it totally sheltered - you don't want them to start breaking dormancy at the first warm spell, only to be hit by the next freeze - they might recover and might succumb. If you can get them through the first couple of winters, they should come back from the roots reliably, if the tops do get winter-killed. Hopefully, aberrations like the Easter freeze won't happen again!

I may have some of these facts wrong since it happened long before I lived here. Evidentally there was a major freeze back in the eighties. Mr. Avent (now owner of Plant delights Nursery, then horticulturalist for the NC fairgrounds) went all over Raleigh and collected cuttings of things that survived the cold snap included many cultivars of oleander. PDN sells most of them (though maybe not every year) and you can see the trees still surviving out at the fairgrounds. I think there is every color except yellow represented. Some are in the shade and others in more sun. They all bloom. They all survive winters without any protection.

They are also one of the most deadly poisonous plants on the planet.

Growing one sounds encouraging. They remind me of Charleston where I've seen them growing so beautifully.

I do know about the poison aspect. We live on 4.5 acres, so we don't have anyone wandering through our property. Our sons are in their 20's. Our dog is a greyhound and is only outside when supervised. There aren't any cats or dogs that come through, only deer and bunnies.

Thanks!
Cameron