Before I purchased The Bungalow, I had long been a frequent visitor to Galveston. And, each time I crossed the causeway onto the island, I was greeted by the sight of the lush and beautiful oleander bushes lining Broadway. I never failed to notice and truly appreciate them!
But, it was not until I became a homeowner here that I realized Galveston is known as The Oleander City and home of the International Oleander Society. It makes sense! Oleanders are everywhere!
The first oleanders came to Galveston in 1841 when Joseph Osterman, a prominent merchant, brought them by ship from Jamaica. He gave them to his wife and sister-in-law, Isadore Dyer, who found them easy to cultivate and gave them to friends and neighbors. The familiar double pink variety that Isadore grew has been named for her.
As early as 1846, the yards in Galveston were full of oleanders, and the beauty they added to the city was duly noted. Oleanders flourished in the city because they were able to easily withstand the subtropical weather, the alkaline soil and the salt spray. Thus, oleanders ultimately became the dominant bushes used in the replanting of the city following the destruction of the Great Storm of 1900.
In 1912, the Women’s Health Protective Association planted 2500 oleander bushes - many along Broadway, the entrance to the city, and on 25th Street, the pathway to the beach front. In a few short years, oleanders made a spectacular display of blooms for citizens and visitors.
Later, the name of the WHPA was changed to the Women’s Civic League, and the plantings continued for many years. The bushes were alongside city streets, in parks and yards, around public buildings and schools. Soon the whole city became a garden of oleanders.
According to an editorial in the Galveston Tribune, “As early as 1908… the oleander was emblematic of Galveston and that people came from all over to see them.”
In 1910, The Galveston Daily News also reported that Galveston was known throughout the world as “The Oleander City” and in 1916, an article named it one of the most beautiful cities in the South.
Through the pollination of the two original Galveston Oleanders, ‘Mrs. Isadore Dyer’ and ‘Ed Barr’, many hybrids have been created throughout the century. Many of these have been distributed all over the United States and, today, are growing everywhere the climate is amicable. Today, corals, yellows, reds, pinks and whites in singles and double forms are found in the warmer climates of America.
In May 1967, the National Oleander Society (later changed to the International Oleander Society) was born, thanks to the vision of Maureen Elizabeth “Kewpie” Gaido and Clarence Pleasants.
Inspired by Pleasants (known as “Mr. Oleander”) Kewpie promoted the oleander all over the world. In 1971, she corresponded with Ronald Reagan, (then Governor of California), after learning he had designated oleander plantings along many miles of California freeways. She also talked with Lady Bird Johnson concerning her own promotion of the oleander around Texas.
Oleanders in History
According to the International Oleander Society, “Oleanders were found in Ancient Greek, Roman and Chinese gardens. In China, the cultivation of oleanders was a hobby of literary men who adorned their studies with cut Oleander blooms.
Due to the preserving layers of volcanic ash from the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, we know that Oleanders were also grown in the gardens of Pompeii. They were the plant most often painted on Pompeian murals (circa 79 A.D.) and were usually found represented in informal settings as background plants or mass plantings in the unique, traditional garden wall paintings whereby the Pompeians created the illusion that their gardens extended far into the countryside.
The Hebrew holy text, The Talmud, mentions the oileander numerous times, especially in the Mishnah, the first part, compiled around 200 A.D.”
