Nerium oleander 'ATXNOKHP'

Nerium oleander 'ATXNOKHP' Austin Pretty Limits™ on Low water in June 2022 at UC Davis. Photo SK Reid.

Summary

South Coast Research & Extension Center (South Coast REC/SCREC) is located in Irvine California, this site has a sandy loam soil and plants are irrigated with reclaimed water. UC Davis is located in Davis, California, this site has a silty clay loam soil and plants are irrigated with potable water. More information about the field sites is located in the Nuts & Bolts section.

Austin Pretty Limits is a new dwarf cultivar of oleander with dark green lanceolate leaves that have a prominent midvein, smooth margin, and thick texture. Plants produced many unbranched stems from the base which yielded an open, blousy, informal shape. Each stem produced clusters of cerise-pink flowers opening from magenta pink buds. Austin Pretty Limits was evaluated at UC Davis and South Coast REC (SCREC) with site specific performance details and recommendations below.

UC Davis Trial – Davis, CA

Flowers first appeared in spring, continued regularly into July, and tapered off in August with only a few scattered flowers during the rest of the deficit season. The new shoots on this plant were a vibrant green which created an appealing contrast with the older foliage and added another element of interest. We observed occasional pest damage, and throughout the season we observed an occasional stem die to the ground on a few plants. We speculated this was physical damage from turkeys or wind rather than pest or disease but were unable to determine the cause with certainty. Detrimental to the overall appearance of this cultivar was the lack of uniformity due to this breakage and the lax shape resulting from the lack of branching (Photos 11b and 11c). This plant was not as dense or floriferous as photographs from other regions show, but this may be a result of the limited time in this trial. Our results might also be different if we had implemented some form of pruning, but this is not recommended by the producer, who promotes this as a dwarf that does not need pruning. Overall, this plant rated very highly in the trials despite this and would make a good low backdrop, screen, or hedge in the landscape. Based on its performance in the trial, Austin Pretty Limits should be assigned a Low WUCOLS category in Region 2.

South Coast REC Trial – Irvine, CA

Shoots emerged from the base resulting in branches extending in every direction. Flowering began in April with full bloom reached in July, and flowering tapered off with no bloom recorded in October. As the season progressed lodging was observed in some branches, which began to sag under the weight of the leaves and large flower clusters.  At the same time sooty mold began to appear, darkening the foliage of selected leaves. Researchers recommend irrigating Austin Pretty Limits on Low water for WUCOLS Region 3.

Basic Info

Growth and Quality Data

Click Here for Complete Data Set - UC Davis

Click Here for Complete Data Set - SCREC

Nerium oleander 'ATXNOKHP' Austin Pretty Limits™ on Low water in November 2022 at UC Davis. Photo JA Sisneroz.

Nerium oleander 'ATXNOKHP' Austin Pretty Limits™ on Low water in July 2022 at South Coast REC.