We who love plants and flowers are especially blessed for we belong to one of the world's largest and most beneficent families, those who garden. To work with the earth, to witness her infinite manifestations of beauty, birth and fruition, to share with friends in every geographical climate plants, seeds and horticultural experiences, to awaken each day to new exploration within and without, to plant a seed or a tree, to marvel at the song of a bird or the fragrance of a blossom, and to witness beauty beyond description imbues one with an eternal sense of gratitude and awe. In the words of India's great sage and poet Sri Aurobindo:

"All’s miracle here and can by miracle change.”

(from savitri)

In recent times the oleander has gained greatly in popularity in the United States due in large part to efforts of growers and hybridizers, including champions of the oleander such as Kewpie Gaido, Clarence Pleasants, Bob Newding, Elizabeth Head and many other members of the International Oleander Society. During the past few years we have had the opportunity to correspond with many of these dedicated people throughout the United States and Europe who have made invaluable contributions on behalf of the oleander and have been fortunate in being able to personally interview and tape record hours of their reminiscences. This list of those who have assisted us and answered seemingly endless questions is lengthy indeed and we express our personal gratitude to each and every one.

Our special thanks is due to the following people and institutions who have been instrumental in helping us realize our goal of a comprehensive work on oleanders that would be of interest to both amateur and professional gardeners, plant collectors, nurserymen and hybridizers.

To the late Maureen Elizabeth "Kewpie" Gaido, founder of the International Oleander Society, whose enthusiasm, gracious hospitality and personal encouragement was the primary impetus for this book. We shall always remember our visits to

her in Galveston, her love of flowers, especially the oleander, her welcoming smile and lasting friendship.

To Elizabeth S. Head, Historian and Corresponding Secretary of the International Oleander Society, and Founder and Editor of Nerium News, for sharing some of the society's impressive collection of data on oleanders as well as her knowledge of oleander cultivars in Galveston, for sending us past issues of Nerium Nezus for reference, and for the time she devoted to assisting us, not the least of which was driving me around Galveston to seek special cultivars of oleanders to photograph.

To Bob Newding, whose assistance in the technical sections of this book has been invaluable. His selflessness in sharing his technical expertise and encyclopedic knowledge of oleander varieties and culture through hours of recorded interviews, the time he has devoted to showing us oleander plantings throughout Galveston, his illustrations of particular aspects of pruning, planting and design, and his cheerful goodwill and friendship exemplify the deep and lasting camaraderie amongst all

who love horticulture.

To Ted Turner, Sr. and Ted Turner, Jr., for their generosity and hospitality, a wild and wonderful sense of humor, and particularly for sharing their love of the nursery industry, their delight in growing things, and their unparalleled experiences with oleanders and the magnificent cultivars that are the result of years of

dedicated labor.

To Frank J.J. Pagen, plant taxonomist and author of the finest technical work on the genus. Oleanders, Nerium L. and the oleander cultivars, for the extensive research he conducted on the genus, for his kind and generous permission to quote extensively from his book and reproduce his excellent line drawings, and for sharing his

vast experience with European cultivars.

To Dr. Barry Comeaux, for sharing his experiences as President of the International Oleander Society and the many scientific research projects initiated during his

tenure.

To Professor Octavia Hall, for so kindly sharing her experiences in preparing

herbarium specimens of oleanders and the invaluable treasure of her illuminating notes from conversations with Clarence Pleasants, providing the most thorough history of his life and accomplishments, and for permission to quote from her writings.

To George Sealy III, for sharing his reminiscences of the Sealy family, especially his father's generosity in supplying hundreds of thousands of oleanders to the public free of charge, and for his priceless and humorous anecdotes.

To Lane Taylor Sealy, who at seven years of age was one of the first "oleander rustlers" in Texas, for recounting the saga of the Sealy family and glimpses of Galveston's early history, and for regaling us with stories of his life with his father

George Sealy, Jr. among the oleanders.

To John Kriegel, Director of Gardens and Gary Outenreath, Exhibits Manager, both of Moody Gardens in Galveston, Texas, who have helped amass one of the world's great oleander collections at Moody Gardens, for their kindness and willingness to share their vast horticultural expertise.

To the Moody Foundation, for their interest in highlighting oleander plantings in addition to many other wonderful experiences offered at Moody Gardens.

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To Dr. Darrell MacDonald, cultural plant geographer by self-definition, biogeographer by discipline, and ethnobotanist by many other standards, for sharing his PhD dissertation research which focused on the transformation of Galveston from a barrier island into an urban complex of exotic plantings and native plants.

To Dr. Jerry Parsons, Professor and Extension Horticulturist of Texas A&M University Agricultural Extension Service at San Antonio, for his illuminating and humorous accounts of his experiences with oleanders.

To Dr. Wayne McKay, Research Horticulturist and Director of Texas A&M University Agricultural Extension Service at El Paso, for sharing his research into the development of increased cold tolerance using irradiated oleander seeds.

To Dr. David Morgan, for permission to quote from the article, "How to Register Patents, Trademarks," in the July 1989 issue of Nursery Manager.

To the Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry, India, for permission to quote from the works of The Mother and Sri Aurobindo.

To the Bishop Museum in Honolulu, Hawaii, for permission to quote from Marie C. Neal's book. In Gardens of Hawaii.

To the Monrovia Nursery Company and Roger Duer, for supplying us with the background on the Monrovia hybrids including original photographs.

To Gopalaswamy Parthasarathy, for permission to quote from K.S. Gopalaswamiengar's book. Complete Gardening in India.

And finally, to a special friend and pioneer in the field of oleanders, the late Clarence Grant Pleasants, author of the first book on the genus entitled Galveston, The Oleander City, for his energy and devotion to promoting his beloved plant, his inspiration for the International Oleander Society to be founded in Galveston thereby assuring that it would forever be known as The Oleander City, his selfless sharing of plant material with botanical gardens and institutions, and his personal kindness to us in hours of recorded interviews relating the extraordinary history of his experiences with oleander cultivars, their culture, habits and special attributes. Clarence passed away December 27,1995, as this book was in preparation.

Gratitude is the memory of the heart.

Anonymous

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