Actual size and flowering may vary slightly based on season.
Yellow Oleander Tree
Yellow Oleander Tree is a tropical evergreen with narrow, glossy leaves and clusters of yellow trumpet flowers through the warm months. It grows 10 to 20 feet tall as a small tree or a big screening shrub. The flowers are fragrant, and some plants bloom in apricot or cream. It likes full sun and regular water in the Valley.
Best for: a tropical-looking screen or small tree, fragrant yellow flowers from late spring into fall, and patios and pool areas.
Grown as a large shrub, it makes a dense evergreen screen or border. Left with several trunks, it blocks views year round with bright green, narrow leaves.
Prune up the lower branches and it becomes a small tree 10 to 20 feet tall. The yellow flowers then hang at eye level and above.
The fragrant yellow flowers bloom for a long stretch of the warm season. It is used for a tropical look on patios and around pools.
All parts are poisonous, especially the seeds, so keep it away from kids and pets. Leaves can burn around 28°F, so give young plants a warm, protected spot.
- Closer screen planting3 ft apart
- Trees with room to spread10 ft apart
Water a new plant every few days at first, easing to about weekly. Once rooted, keep it on regular deep soaks and let the top of the soil dry between them.
Leaves can burn around 28°F and may drop after a cold night, but it recovers quickly in spring. Cover young plants with frost cloth on frost nights.
Light pruning keeps the shape. To grow it as a tree, lift the lower branches over time. Wear gloves and eye protection, since the milky sap irritates skin and eyes.
Drainage test first. Dig the hole and fill it with water. If water is still sitting in the hole a day later, you likely hit caliche, clay or hard soil, so fix the drainage before planting. If it drains very fast, the soil is sandy. Standing water around roots is a common reason new plants fail.
Weed cloth. Cut it away from the planting hole and where the roots will spread. Remove any plastic sheeting completely, since it keeps water and air out of the soil.
Rock or decomposed granite with no soil underneath. Bring in soil close in texture to your native soil, mix it with the soil below, and build up enough depth for roots before planting.
If you can break through. Use a breaker bar, pick, or jackhammer. Dig through the caliche and break out the solid chunks. Backfill with the soil you dug out, with no compost or manure in the hole. Confirm drainage before planting.
If you cannot break through. Dig narrow holes through the hard layer beside the root ball, not under it, and refill them with the same soil, not gravel. If it still will not drain, plant on a low mound of the same soil.
Root ball. Check the outside edges for any roots circling around. Loosen or cut those so they grow outward. Do not break up the center of the root ball.
Depth. The top of the root ball should sit at or just slightly above the surrounding soil level. Planting too deep can lead to rot and kill the plant.
Drip emitters. At planting, put the emitters on the root ball, on different sides of the plant. After about 2 months, move them to the outer edge of the root ball. Over the first year, add emitters farther out toward the edge of the branches as roots grow. Once a plant is rooted, never water only at the trunk.
Is yellow oleander poisonous?
Yes. All parts are poisonous if eaten, especially the seeds, and it is toxic to dogs, cats and horses. Keep it away from where kids and pets play.
Is yellow oleander the same as regular oleander?
No. It is a different plant in the same family, with narrow, glossy leaves and yellow trumpet flowers, and both are poisonous.
How big does it get?
About 10 to 20 feet tall and 6 to 15 feet wide. It can be kept as a large shrub or pruned into a small tree.
How often should I water it?
Water it regularly with deep soaks, and let the top of the soil dry between them. It looks best on steady water in the Valley heat.
Can it take frost?
Leaves can be damaged around 28°F, but it recovers quickly in spring. Cover young plants on frost nights and plant in a protected spot.
When does it bloom?
Through the warm season, from late spring into fall. Flowers are yellow, and some plants bloom apricot, cream or orange.
Can I use it as a privacy screen?
Yes. Kept full to the ground it makes a dense evergreen screen or border. Light pruning keeps the shape.
Does the sap bother skin?
The milky sap can irritate skin and eyes in some people. Wear gloves and eye protection when pruning.
Why are the leaves turning yellow?
Poorly drained soil can bring on yellow leaves. Plant it in soil that drains well and water deeply rather than often.
Yellow Oleander Tree for sale in Arizona, delivered to you
Yellow Oleander Tree, also called lucky nut, is a relative of oleander with yellow trumpet flowers and glossy, narrow leaves. This page covers size, water, frost, screening, pruning and the poison in its seeds and sap.
Sourced from trusted Arizona growers and delivered directly to your door, job site, or property. We deliver across the Valley and to nearby towns, and quote delivery anywhere else in Arizona.
Is yellow oleander poisonous to dogs?
Yes. It is toxic to dogs, cats and horses, and all parts are poisonous to people, especially the seeds. Plant it where pets and kids do not play.
Yellow oleander vs regular oleander
They are different plants in the same family. Yellow oleander has narrow, glossy leaves and yellow trumpet flowers, and both plants are poisonous.
How big does yellow oleander get in Phoenix?
About 10 to 20 feet tall and 6 to 15 feet wide. Grow it as a big screening shrub, or lift the lower branches for a small tree.
Does yellow oleander survive Arizona winters?
Usually, with some leaf burn. Leaves can be damaged around 28°F and recover quickly in spring. Protect young plants on frost nights.
Watering yellow oleander in the desert
Give it regular deep soaks, letting the top of the soil dry in between. It prefers steadier water than common oleander.
Fragrant flowering screen plants for Arizona
Yellow oleander makes a dense evergreen screen with fragrant yellow flowers from late spring into fall.
We deliver across the Valley, from Phoenix, Scottsdale and Mesa out to San Tan Valley, Maricopa and Casa Grande, and up to Prescott, Sedona, Payson and Globe. See delivery areas and rates.