I have about a 10 foot section of fence that I want to cover with either Oleanders or Knockout rose bushes. I like the way both look so really looking for more of ease of maintenance.

also, if you have a rec, what time of year should I plant them?

thank you

Is the toxicity of oleander overstated? That's what would scare me off of them.

What part of the state are you in?

What kind of fence is it? Privacy (6', 8')?

Is the desire just to provide something to break up the smooth fence? Or something more?

Do you have dogs? (If I recall correctly Oleander is highly toxic to animals)

Not sure how big the knockout roses will really get, but Oleanders will get huge under the right conditions (a hard freeze may kill em back though). They like to be round though, so that means that it will be as deep as it is wide (i.e. don't plant it right up against the fence). Also, if you decide to remove the oleanders after 10 years, i'd recommend a backhoe to remove the root ball.

Depending on your need, a good option may be Texas Vitex. Hardy as hell, low maintenance, good looking flowers. Can either be pruned to stay a bush or more tree-like.

I have mature Oleander along my back fence. My back yard is considerably quieter than my neighbors who has just a privacy fence(there is a minor road behind us). I have dogs, they "ain't dead yet". I do notice that if a leaf pokes me when I am working near them it does sting a bit but only while it pokes. I tried to remove one live oleander once, I broke my engine hoist. That thing had to be killed chemically over many months.

Whatever you plant, wait about 3-4 more weeks to do it.

Oleanders can be hit hard by freezes below 20 degrees, are toxic & get really dang big (15'-20' sometimes) if you don't get a dwarf variety. Give them plenty of room to grow.

KO Roses are definitely non toxic, but beware of the rosette disease (virus) that is killing these plants by the thousands. No cure... more prevalent in D/FW area than central Texas at this point.

Some other shrubs you might consider: Sandankwa Viburnum, Pineapple Guava or Texas Sage.

A.G.S. said:

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What part of the state are you in?

What kind of fence is it? Privacy (6', 8')?

Is the desire just to provide something to break up the smooth fence? Or something more?

Do you have dogs? (If I recall correctly Oleander is highly toxic to animals)

Not sure how big the knockout roses will really get, but Oleanders will get huge under the right conditions (a hard freeze may kill em back though). They like to be round though, so that means that it will be as deep as it is wide (i.e. don't plant it right up against the fence). Also, if you decide to remove the oleanders after 10 years, i'd recommend a backhoe to remove the root ball.

Depending on your need, a good option may be Texas Vitex. Hardy as hell, low maintenance, good looking flowers. Can either be pruned to stay a bush or more tree-like.

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I am in Houston. good advice thank you!

will.mcg said:

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I have mature Oleander along my back fence. My back yard is considerably quieter than my neighbors who has just a privacy fence(there is a minor road behind us). I have dogs, they "ain't dead yet". I do notice that if a leaf pokes me when I am working near them it does sting a bit but only while it pokes. I tried to remove one live oleander once, I broke my engine hoist. That thing had to be killed chemically over many months.

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how tall are yours? can I keep it at Privacy fence height?

gigemJTH12 said:

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will.mcg said:

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I have mature Oleander along my back fence. My back yard is considerably quieter than my neighbors who has just a privacy fence(there is a minor road behind us). I have dogs, they "ain't dead yet". I do notice that if a leaf pokes me when I am working near them it does sting a bit but only while it pokes. I tried to remove one live oleander once, I broke my engine hoist. That thing had to be killed chemically over many months.

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how tall are yours? can I keep it at Privacy fence height?

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They are an absolute pain in the a$$ to trim! And when you do trim them, they look like they've been scalped. I'd go knock out roses for sure (if purely for an aesthetic look).

Describe the purpose a little more and that might make the determination a little different.

that is all I needed to know. the purpose is I share about 10 foot of fence with my neighbor and our dogs go to the fence and scrape and bark non stop. Trying to put a buffer between them. Thats the main purpose. Just building a flower bed and putting a small fence around it.

The seconday purpose is filling the bed with something bigger than flowers that looks pretty and is relatively low maintenance.

Take a look at bottlebrush. There are varieties that get from 5 feet to 10 feet.

Opinions and aholes, and all that. I'd go oleanders, we have knockouts too though. I think oleanders are heartier, we have dogs and it's never been an issue. Plus they're deer resistant if that's an issue (it is for us)

We had an oleander at one of our past houses, and we lost a Golden Retriever to it. I would never have one near my animals. I would look at something like Red-tip photinias. They make great cover at height, and I do not think they are toxic to animals or people.

Back in my cowboying days, my boss trimmed a trailer load of oleander and dumped it in one of the pastures. We found several dead heifers a few days later.

We too had oleanders, and we spent a night at the emergency vet. Dog did live however. Never again. I love knockout roses, but am at the point where I'm sick of thorny things in my yard.

Vitex was a great suggestion and native. Bottlebrush was a great suggestion as well.

We had a bunch of knock-outs. They grew nicely until we go rose rosetta. We (and everyone else in NE Tarrant) had to pull them. There is no stopping the spread once it's in your area.

They are 10' tall or so & have a large footprint, maybe 4' diameter. I trim them down maybe twice a year & end up with at least a pick up bed full of branches.

I have azaleas, ko roses, and lantana along my back fence. The lantana is easiest by far and they grow really fast and have little yellow flowers. Might look at those also.

I would never, ever plant an oleander voluntarily. We had them at the coast and they were a lot to maintain. Also, as said. when you want to get rid of them when you are tired of dealing with them, get dynamite and a huge trackhoe to get them out of the ground. Dad used child labor, a lot, and I still have nightmares digging those damn root balls from hell.

No, no, no on Red Tips. There's a virus/fungus/blight spreading through Texas that will wipe all of them out soon. Don't set yourself up to redo your landscaping in a few years.

If you go with roses consider antique varieties. They are basically plants that have shown an ability to survive without much care and very disease resistant.

https://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/southerngarden/antique.html

Wax leaf myrtles would be another good option. Fast growing, attractive, pretty easy to keep trimmed.

Second on Antique Roses. Extremely hardy once you get them established.

Antique Rose Emporium in Independence is a cool place to see them at full size.

**** knock out roses


Plant azaleas and wait several years

A couple other flowering shrub type plants to consider are Pride of Barbados and Esperanza

Lots of ideas here already. For what it is worth as a landscaper I wouldn't have an oleander within a mike of my place. Yes they are hardy and they do grow well and can look great. The issue is the toxicity and the cold weather. They freeza and look terrible. Then you have piles of waste to remove And have a poison pile. Yes dogs, cattle, and even humans can be affected and can die from an oleander. Just not worth it.

KO roses are pretty but are not really for the application you are describing and yes the virus is real.

Vitex is a good plant as stated but would rather be a small tree than a bush. It can be made one but takes Labor.

Wax myrtle is a great suggestion. Actually several varieties of yews would work for this application. I could see a fence if vitex with Pringlea dwarf yews planted below.

Another plant that works well for us as long as you don't have huge drainage issues is variegated pits. They don't struggle with the root diseases as several of its cousins will. This plant can be hedged reasonable at 24 inches all the way to 12 feet if you like.

All of this being said the best landscape of you have the space is not a Monoculture. This leads to huge issues. If you can mix and match desirable plants that can take similar environment that is the way to go. Also allows for plant interests at different times of year. If this were my yard this is the way I would lean. Also as far away from an oleander as I could.

Wax Myrtle is the best thing for your application.

I do like mixing bottle brush in with them.

This is great stuff. So I measured tonight and I have 20 feet by about 3 feet. If I were going to alternate plants what would you suggest? Can I fit 6?

Depends on plant size so your selection of plants dictates how many. My guess is 4 maybe 5

https://www.plantanswers.com/
Will answer questions you never thought of asking.
Personally I stick with Texas Superstars. Almost no work at all once established.

FIDO 96 said:

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We had a bunch of knock-outs. They grew nicely until we go rose rosetta. We (and everyone else in NE Tarrant) had to pull them. There is no stopping the spread once it's in your area.

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I had the same thing happen in north ft worth. Had a knockout that was producing beautiful Rose's but the rose Rosetta got it and everyone else's in the neighborhood.

GottaRide said:

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Back in my cowboying days, my boss trimmed a trailer load of oleander and dumped it in one of the pastures. We found several dead heifers a few days later.

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Man, that's rough to hear. I feel for your boss and for the animals.

You reckon they ate some of the flowers that were still on the cut brush? I wonder how many it takes to bring down a large animal like that.

A Vet friend told me one time that 4 Oleander leaves can kill a full grown horse.. Seems they are really toxic and some animals react worse than others. Also said the smoke from burning dead Oleander leaves/plants can be deadly if you breath much of it.

I like the look of those Texas Superstars

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I have 20 feet by about 3 feet.

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With a three foot width it's going to be tough to contain plants like Wax Myrtle... they want to be 15-20' tall & 10-15' wide. Pittosporums will also get pretty wide.

You may want to consider widening that bed out some or use more vertical growing plants like a compact cherry laurel, japanese yew, or a Nellie R. Stevens Holly. There are some yaupon varieties that stay upright, such as Will Flemming or one of the weeping types.

It was summer so those green leaves were probably the only green stuff those heifers had seen for a while.