The Handbook on Oleanders

12

He who is born with a silver spoon in his mouth

 is generally considered a fortunate person, but his

 good fortune is small compared to that of the

happy mortal who enters this world

 with a passion for flowers in his soul.

Celia Thaxter

Distinguished People

Who Have Contributed to the Worldwide Appreciation of Oleanders

We begin this section by honoring two people who have been the forerunners in advancing the cause of oleanders; "Kewpie" Gaido, to whom this book is dedi- cated, and Clarence Pleasants/ "Mr. Oleander" to those who had the good fortune to know him and work with him.

Maureen Elizabeth "Kewpie" Gaido

A special friend who, through her energy and enthusiasm, inspired everyone she met to share in her great love of oleanders. Kewpie was born in Galveston, Texas, and devoted much of her life to promoting oleanders there and elsewhere throughout the world. After being inspired by Clarence Pleasants, she was instru- mental in founding the National Oleander Society (later changed to the International Oleander Society) and was its first president from 1967 to 1972. Her knowledge of oleanders and her ability to speak eloquently of them has encouraged people all over the world to grow them. Her love of flowers led her to travel widely, visiting gardens everywhere seeking to increase her knowledge of plants. She visited Greece, China, Japan, Copenhagen, the French and Italian Riviera, and Monaco where she saw extensive plantings of oleanders. While in Italy, on a visit to Luca, she saw immense oleander trees balled and burlapped at a nursery and noted that tempera- tures in this area often fell much below freezing. In Holland, F.J.J. Pagen took Kewpie, Clarence Pleasants and Elizabeth Head to a nursery where he showed them the Ital- ian Oleander of which Kewpie remarked, ". . . they were very beautiful, very large (flowers)." She corresponded with Ronald Reagan in 1971, when he was governor of California, after reading that he had designated many miles of freeways for plant- ing oleanders and sent him plants and cuttings of some of Galveston's finest culti- vars. She also spoke with Lady Bird Johnson after hearing that the former First Lady Was planting oleanders in other areas of Texas. She worked tirelessly to promote

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oleanders in Galveston as well, saying of the plant, "You're never a hero in your own town/' and encouraged local residents to understand the treasure that Galveston offered to the world. Dr. Darrell MacDonald said of her, "Mrs. Gaido's altruistic dedication tp the oleander and the idea of beautifying the island got me interested in trying to help them solve the problem of all the varieties." He added, 'She was such an important force in making people realize that the aesthetics of the island are as important as its economic functions." She took great pride in the "international" aspect of the Oleander Society, commenting that there were members from eight countries. In 1975 she was made an honorary life member of the society and was presented with a plaque of appreciation as organizer and first president.

Kewpie was well known to Galvestonians as the matriarch of the island's fa- mous restaurant family, and as a native Galvestonian herself was intimately familiar with the grand social events of the past. She told us of the Oleander Festivals of former years when a Queen of the Oleanders was selected along with a train of "little princesses" and floats were decorated with thousands of oleander flowers. Kewpie was instrumental in reviving the Oleander Festival through the International Olean- der Society in 1989. As Chairman of the Festival in 1991, on learning that Van Gogh had painted an oleander, she arranged for Dr. Sweetman, author of The Love of Many Things, A Life of Vincent Van Gogh, to visit from England and Dr. Frank Pagen, author of Oleanders, Nerium L. and the oleander cultivars, to travel from Holland to lecture at the Oleander Festival. She never ceased to be amazed that from a barren island the early settlers created a place of such beauty. Most of all, Kewpie was grateful for Moody Gardens, a vision of such epic proportions that, at first, she thought it would never be realized. She was the earliest champion of Moody Gardens, first president of the Friends of Moody Gardens and Chairman of the Board. She worked unceasingly to instill her love of horticulture in family and friends, taking plants to children in schools to awaken their interest as hers had been awakened by her father. Looking back on her journey with oleanders and all the memories of a lifetime lived to the fullest, she never forgot to mention Clarence Pleasants who she said, "... has made all this hap- pen ... he's a gentleman, very sweet and caring, interesting and interested. This man is a selfless man, very hardworking. He's just an inspiration to us all."

As in her life, so in her death Kewpie wanted her friends to be happy and enjoy themselves. At her funeral, in accordance with her instructions, the Olympia Jazz Band played dirges as well as lively music so that everyone would have a good time celebrating her passing as she wished.

Clarence Pleasants

"Mr. Oleander", as he was known to all in Galveston, saw his first oleanders in Rockbridge County, Virginia, when he was just a boy working as a garden helper. The bright red flowers, growing in tubs on either side of a porch, caught his eye from a distance (the way he says most people often see oleanders). He went to the door and asked the owner of the house what these unusual plants were and she replied, "Oly Andys." From that moment he knew that this was the plant he would study for the rest of his life and dedicated himself to learning everything he could about its culture and origins.

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Pleasants Postoffice Pink

The youngest of four brothers, Clarence attended a segregated two-room black school up to grade 7, there being no further grades taught. From her talks with Clarence, Prof. Octavia Hall wrote in 1966: "It [the school] had a broken down shed off the basement, where piles of old National Geographies lay helter-skelter, from which he was given armfuls and which he read avidly about a world he knew he'd likely see little of in his life."

Clarence studied under Frederick Heutte, a well respected plantsman, at the Norfolk Botanical Garden in Virginia where he worked for thirteen years. He later developed correspondence with people all over the world in search of information to further his knowledge of how oleanders were cultivated in other countries, the varieties that were available, the forms and fragrances of flowers, the sizes and har-» diness of shrubs, etc. He also began a vigorous personal campaign to promote ole- anders and traveled throughout the Southeast collecting cuttings that were unusual/ once finding the cultivar "Commandant Barthelemy", a double red, growing on the outer banks of North Carolina. During his years in Norfolk he introduced plants from California and many other areas, growing the more tender varieties in the green- houses and planting unique cultivars throughout the city. Whenever he found an unusual cultivar, whether growing in a yard, on a side street or in front of a public building, he would get permission to collect cuttings and then, by first talking with people about the history and origin of a specific plant, would work tirelessly to iden- tify the variety.

This often led him into some interesting situations. While still in Virginia he corresponded with Mr. Curtis of Seaside Nursery in Galveston. "Mr. Curtis," he recalled, "was most interested in telling me about the oleander and he even agreed

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to send me some." Further help came from Dr. Snodgrass, a member of the Camellia Society. Clarence wrote to him also and told him "about the oleander and my inter- est in it, and he wrote me a long letter — busy people usually do — about oleanders. He mentionedthat he lived over near the ship channel and had several oleanders, and that 'Sealy Pink' was his favorite." Dr. Snodgrass' letter inspired Clarence even more and he made a trip to Houston, his first flight, to see the oleanders in Galveston. He told a story about this experience that we're sure will strike a chord with plant collectors everywhere:

And in my collecting [in Galveston] I met some interesting people. I met a gentleman near Kempner Park and I was looking at his oleanders and I told him of my interest in oleanders and where I was from. "Well," he said, "oleanders won't grow up there in Norfolk." I said, "Yes, they do, they do quite well. It's as far north as they grow without needing to be moved in and out. And I'd like to take some unusual plants back." "Well," he said, "you can do that. I can't open the gate because I have it locked (an iron gate), but you can get over the fence." He gave me 'Mrs. Wilson' and this one and another one, about 20 cuttings. He was a very formal man, frightening to a degree, kind of scary until you got to know "him. At the end of my visit he was very friendly and nice. He said that he had relatives in Detroit and sent them oleanders for container plants. He even helped me back over the fence! Over the years I'd go out there occasionally and get some cuttings. He once pointed out a plant and said, "This is named after my wife. Her name is Lucille Hutchings." The gentle- man was Mr. Sealy Hutchings. He's related to the Sealys and he's kin to the Moodys too. It was a little history lesson walkin' through there.

Clarence concluded with a scene familiar to many of us: "But I did have an enormous amount of cuttings and people were watching as I was walking down the street to the motel. They were sort of surprised because, I mean, what's so exciting about oleanders, why is he doing that? Well, in plumeria country, I'm sure when you're seeking a certain plumeria, the folks settin' on the patio or the upper balcony are wondering what's the great interest?"

After returning to Norfolk, Clarence gathered together all the information he had collected over the years and decided to write a book. He said, "A book would be nice to bring interest to the oleander. The book is not of a scientific nature, it really wasn't intended that way, but it brought interest to the oleander." In addition to his book, Clarence made numerous radio and TV appearances to promote the oleander (much as Kewpie Gaido was doing in Galveston), dispelling the ingrained prejudices people had about their poisonous qualities and pointing instead to the numerous plants grown in parks, along esplanades, and in gardens throughout the Norfolk area. He spoke eloquently on the oleander's many attributes in the garden; its showiness, hardiness, carefree habit and the fact that it is a truly unusual plant that stands out in the landscape. Although it wasn't easy, he recalled, due to the negativity about the oleander's poisonous qualities, he became its spokesman, gaining the respect and admiration of his peers. In his efforts to further promote the cultivation of oleanders, Clarence sent cuttings to the West Indies, trained  to the

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Dominican Republic where he presented the Botanical Gardens with 20 of the best varieties in his collection, and corresponded worldwide with horticulturists inter- ested in the genus.

On July 1,1969, Clarence moved to Galveston to take a position at SeaArama where he began an extensive oleander collection, even designing an Oleander Trail. Prof. Octavia Hall recalls a walk she took with Clarence around the (then closed) SeaArama gardens on July 2, 1991, an anniversary of when he had first started to work there, saying: "He visited personally with each surviving shrub (as I closely observed) that he'd planted there, remarking which had survived and which had not over the years. His intellectual and emotional involvement with his plants was total, as was his involvement generally; and which evoked a like involvement in his friends toward him."

Thus began the wonderful collaboration with the people of Galveston that would last until his death in 1995. Elizabeth Head called Clarence the "soul" of the Oleander Society and his contributions to the city on behalf of oleanders were immeasurable.

Sherry Brahm

Former president of the International Oleander Society whom I had the plea- sure to meet on my first visit to Galveston when she invited me to address the Soci- ety in 1986. A wonderful person and dedicated leader whose message as incoming President we are honored to quote:

"Those of you in other places can help by letting us know of your experience with oleanders and sharing information of success as well as failure. Help us be a gathering point for knowledge regarding ole- ander culture."

Dr. Barry Comeaux

Past president of the International Oleander Society and former Director of Horticulture at Galveston College. Through his expertise and technical training in the field of horticulture, he helped the Nomenclature Committee develop a Descrip- tor List for the identification of oleander cultivars. Dr. Comeaux personally identi-. fied 60 cultivars in Galveston and has recently been studying oleanders in Mexico.

Professor Octavia Hall

Gifted in so many ways. Prof. Hall has led an extraordinary life. A Research Associate Professor with her late husband Dr. Charles E. Hall in the Department of Physiology and Biophysics at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Prof. Hall has co-authored 165 research publications. She describes herself as an ex- perimental pathologist and micro-anatomist as well as a string instrument player (mandolin) which, among her many other talents and skills, she credits for contrib- uting to the dexterity necessary for the preparation of herbarium specimens. One set is kept at Moody Gardens and another is at the Smithsonian Institute. In a letter to Prof. Hall, Frederick G. Meyer of the U.S. National Arboretum in Washington, D.C.,

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wrote: "I was delighted to receive the specimens of oleander.... I must tell you how beautifully they are prepared. All blue ribbon. They will enrich our herbarium of cultivated plants very significantly."

Elizabeth S. Head

A multi-talented member of the International Oleander Society, a medical tech- nologist, writer, poet, painter and native Galvestonian. She served as historian for the Society for many years, is the Corresponding Secretary, the Editor of Nerium News and one the Society's strongest pillars. Having grown up on Galveston Island, she has admired oleanders since her childhood and was encouraged in her youth, she recalls, by a science teacher who led the students on field trips and interested them in various horticultural projects. Through the years she has amassed a prodigous collection of data on oleanders compiled into scrapbooks that are an invaluable re- pository of information on the genus.

Ethyl Mae Koehler

One of the founding members of the National Oleander Society and one of the early presidents, she wrote the first newsletters for the Society, handled all the Society's initial correspondence and authored the Gardening Gal column in the Galveston newspaper. John Kriegel

Director of Gardens at Moody Gardens, John has been actively involved in landscaping and landscape maintenance for more than twenty years. He has a de- gree in Botany from the University of Texas, a Masters in Forestry from Stephen F. Austin State University in Texas, and was the Garden Editor for Houston Home and Garden Magazine. At Moody Gardens John also functions in a research capacity in studies of medicinal plants and beneficial insects.

Dr. Darrell McDonald

An ethnobotanist now teaching at Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas, his interest in oleanders began in the mid 1980's while a gradu- ate student in geography at Texas A&M University. Fascinated by the exotic mix of plants on Galveston Island, he chose as the subject of his PhD dissertation the evolu- tion and development of the planted landscapes inside the city. His studies made a significant contribution towards a better understanding of the role of oleanders in the flora of the island.

Robert H. Newding

Bob Newding's interest in studying the culture of oleanders and building a representative collection began in earnest about three years ago. He started by asking questions of everyone associated with oleanders, collecting cuttings and propagating

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hundreds of plants. He now has an impressive collection of more than 70 varieties and, being a trained biologist, has developed an intimate knowledge of oleanders and their culture. The International Oleander Society recently purchased one of each of his plants which are now part of the Society's Reference Collection. Bob has a B.S. in Marine Science from Texas A&M University and is a third generation native Galvestonian.

Gary Outenreath

Gary is the Exhib- its Manager at Moody Gardens and one of the most knowledgeable hor- ticulturists in the country. His command of propa- gation techniques is as- tounding as is his comprehensive under- standing of thousands of rare and unique plants and their culture. He has a B.S. degree in Forestry from Stephen F. Austin State University. He and John Kriegel were the key figures in the landscape design of the Rainforest Pyramid and other plantings throughout Moody Gardens, in the procurement of plants as well as the actual plant- ing and maintenance of the project.

Page F.J.J.n

Centennial

Frank Pagen studied under Dr. A.J.M. Leeuwenberg at the famous Wageningen agricultural University in the Netherlands. He is the author of the most authorita- tive technical treatise on oleanders entitled Oleanders, Nerium L. and the oleander cul- tivars. His extensive research included the examination of hundreds of herbarium specimens from all parts of Europe, especially Mediterranean areas, the Middle East, Africa, India and China, and the review of nursery catalogs from Belgium, France, India, Italy, Japan, Portugal, Spain and the United States, dating back to the early 1820's, from which he compiled a checklist of more than 400 cultivars. He has at- tended the Oleander Festival in Galveston as a guest lecturer, has generously given

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 of his time to take members of the International Oleander Society to view oleanders in Holland and has recently offered to work with the Nomenclature Committee of the Society where he would no doubt provide invaluable assistance. We applaud his altruistic attitude expressed in a letter to Nerium News in which he writes, "It is im- portant to cooperate and share knowledge and information, and to avoid duplica- tion in research." He now has a garden design studio. Ornamental Design, in Spykenisse near Rotterdam.

Dr. Mary Pinkerion

A PhD in botany, a mycologist and the author of many scientific papers. Dr. Pinkerton was a very active member in the early days of the National Oleander Society. She was instrumental in collecting, photographing and classifying the different oleander cultivars in Galveston and helped in setting up the marked oleander trails at SeaArama.

Magnolia Willis Sealy

Wife of George Sealy, Sr., Magnolia is remembered for her work in populariz- ing oleanders in Galveston. Leader of the Women's Health Protective Association founded in 1896, she spearheaded the organization's drive to rebeautify Galveston after the terrible hurricane of 1900 by planting oleanders in yards and public gar- dens, and by propagating and distributing plants to residents of the island. By 1912 Mrs. Sealy had developed red and yellow varieties from seed and throughout her life continued to encourage interest and appreciation for the flower she so loved. The variety named after her is considered by all to exemplify the best qualities in an oleander — beautiful, fragrant, long-blooming and hardy.

George Sealy, Jr.

Referred to by his son George Sealy III as "the Johnny Appleseed of the olean- der business," he was a pioneer in hybridizing oleanders in Galveston. George Sealy, Jr. made deliberate crosses using hand pollination and named many of his seedlings after prominent men and women of Galveston. With Ed Barr as his right hand man, he propagated hundreds of thousands of plants from seeds and cuttings on the grounds of his cotton concentration company and distributed them free of charge to anyone who agreed to take care of them, including visitors to Galveston and military servicemen who carried his cultivars far and wide. Many of the thousands of plants distributed to residents of Galveston are still gracing the streets and gardens of the island.

George Sealy III and Lane Taylor Sealy

Sons of George Sealy, Jr., their childhood memories include many, often humorous, adventures-in connection with their father's passionate hobby, oleanders (Several of these are recounted in Chapter 11, "Galveston, the Oleander City.") George

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and Lane continue the Sealy family's long history of philanthropy by supporting various projects in Galveston. In recent years they arranged for the grounds of Open Gates, the former family home which has since been given to the University of Texas Medical School, to be re-landscaped incorporating many of the traditional Galveston oleanders in the design.

Mary Trube

An early member and officer of the International Society, Mary Trube was a musician and philanthropist who, upon her death, left a fund to assist organizations in various fields including music and horticulture.

Ted L. Turner, Sr.

A respected nurseryman and oleander hybridizer, Ted is the recipient of the first Presidential Award from the International Oleander Society for his 'Shari D' cultivar and considers the award one of the great highlights of his years of hybridiz- ing. Ted Sr. has been in the nursery business for more than 40 years, beginning with his father in Premont, Texas. He founded Turner's Gardenland in Corpus Christi twenty-four years ago and has been blessed to have his children and grandchildren grow up around him, learning about the plants and flowers he loves and cherishes.

Ted Turner, Jr.

Though Ted Jr. has followed in his dad's footsteps at Turner's Nursery, he first graduated cum laude in physics and chemistry at the University of Houston (one of only two schools in the United States that offered a computer science degree at that time) where he majored in computer science and mathematics. Having listened to President Kennedy's exhortation to go into the sciences, Ted worked for NASA in Houston throughout the Gemini and the Apollo space missions. His division wrote programs for the onboard computers and the control center for each mission, and then worked in the control center in support of the flight controllers while the mis- sions were in progress. Having grown up in the nursery business, Ted was happy to go back and finds joy in watching his own children grow up in what he calls a "lovely, family oriented business."

Keep company with those who may make you better.

English Proverb

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Members of the International Oleander Society

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