On Gardening: Austin Pretty Limits will have you two-stepping in the garden

Norman Winter, Tribune News Service on Jun 4, 2026

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If you’ve got sun and want a touch of the tropics and baskets full of blooms, then Austin Pretty Limits oleander is for you.

Let’s address your cold hardiness concerns first. Austin Pretty Limits is cold hardy from zones 8 and up. That’s a large swath of the country that can grow the shrub with ease. The rest of the country can grow Austin Pretty Limits in containers by the pool or on the porch, patio or deck.

You might be thinking that’s a pretty large shrub, and in some respects you might be right. Austin Pretty Limits, however, is in that 5- to 6-foot height range with a 4-foot spread. Now The Garden Guy lives in a virtual forest with decreasing sunlight. My Austin Pretty Limits oleander is in one of the sunniest locations in the landscape and has me wishing for more.

I say that to tell you that I still get incredible blooms (but maybe not like friends in absolute full sun). My growth habit is slightly open, and I feel the branches reach for the sun, perhaps enhancing my shrub's height.

One of the most valued traits of Austin Pretty Limits is a long bloom season, especially in regions farther south. By this I mean that if it’s not always showing blooms, it will seem that way. I’m in zone west Georgia and mine started blooming the last week of April and is still blooming with no end apparent. It is reported to bloom on old wood and new wood.

As you might guess, The Garden Guy is not content with just planting a shrub but searches out combinations. The first years, I tried various annuals like Sunstar Pentas and Angelface angelonias or summer snapdragons.

Then I added a rose bush, Oso Easy Peasy. I placed it at the rear of the bed in an effort to keep the neighborhood deer population from noticing it. It syncs with the oleander in bloom some, but so far not an easy photo.

But now I am into perennials around the Austin Pretty Limits. I’ve got Luscious Citrus Blend lantana, Summerific Valentine’s Crush hibiscus, Rockin Playin’ The Blues salvia and Estrellita Little Star bouvardia or firecracker bush. They all give wonderful blooms but no combo photo. It may come in a few weeks.

As is legendary, oleanders are NOT to be eaten or ingested. If you feel the need to prune, wear gloves as the sap ooze is also toxic and DO NOT BURN the refuse as the smoke is toxic.

While these warnings may sound scary, simply know and teach. Then enjoy the incredible blooms and evergreen texture that Austin City Limits oleander has to offer the landscape.

Besides sun, good drainage is essential as the oleander is not a bog plant. If you are searching for a screen or blooming hedge type shrub, the Austin Pretty Limits oleander should certainly be considered. Planting season is at hand, and search out Austin City Limits oleander.

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(Norman Winter, horticulturist, garden speaker and author of “Tough-as-Nails Flowers for the South” and “Captivating Combinations: Color and Style in the Garden.” Follow him on Facebook @NormanWinterTheGardenGuy.)

(NOTE TO EDITORS: Norman Winter receives complimentary plants to review from the companies he covers.)