The Zookeeper and Oleander

This story was reported out of Tucson yesterday.  Apparently an apprentice zookeeper has accidentally fed two giraffes at our local zoo oleander(nerium).  One has died while the other is in critical condition. This is the 5th zoo animal to die this year.  Story reads as follows from KVOA Channel 4 news......

Reid Park Zoo giraffe dies

Posted: Jul 20, 2011 12:29 PM
Updated: Jul 20, 2011 12:35 PM

TUCSON - One of the male giraffe's at the Reid Park Zoo has died. Watoto, the zoo's male giraffe, died Tuesday night. Pathologists will conduct a full analysis to determine the official cause of death. There is reasonable cause to believe the ingestion of toxic vegetation will be confirmed. Another giraffe remains under careful observation and veterinary care. Watoto began showing signs of an illness early Tuesday. He was refusing food and water, choosing to lie down, and generally displaying lethargy, although he remained responsive. His keeper remained by his side all day, keeping him under close observation. By late afternoon, it was clear that he was not improving. All veterinary reports and advice suggested the situation was grim, and that recovery was not likely. The husbandry team, including Zoo staff and outside zoological experts, stepped in to attempt supportive fluid therapy and the administration of medication to combat the toxicity of the vegetation. The team worked diligently doing everything humanly possible to save the animal however during the initial stage of treatment, the giraffe's heart stopped. After all emergency response options were exhausted he passed away.  Susan Basford, the Zoo's Administrator says, "Through the regrettable events that occurred, I also witnessed our staff at its best - professionals who care deeply about our animals, and who worked diligently as a team doing everything humanly possible to save an animal in our care."

I feel saddened by this news and I'd like to know how the alleged apprentice zookeeper didn't know about the poisonous properties of oleander.  Again,  accidents happen, but at what cost?  What's your opinion?  One more giraffe remains in critical care.

Oleander

In my last post, I spoke about xylosma and mentioned oleander.  If you've never heard about oleander, then I encourage you to ask people about this controversial plant. But no matter what people will say, there is no denying that this plant is seen in landscapes across California, Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, Texas and many other states. It's an aggressive plant that is green and lush which originates from the Mediterranean.  It thrives from neglect and harsh sun.  Without a doubt, if given FULL sun, this plant will not fail and grow to large heights and block out your gawking neighbors.  It's also root invasive so keep it away from the foundations of homes and other structures.  Once established, this plant is almost a weed and can be invasive.  The plant can also put seed out this time of year and randomly pop up in your yard somewhere.  So what should you know about oleander?  Let me start with the pros and then go into cons....

Pros

1. Green green green and lush
2. Pretty flowers in spring
3. Blocks noise and annoying neighbors
4. Makes a GREAT natural screen...if you don't want a fence, plant oleander instead
5. They are extremely low maintenance once established in FULL sun
6. Don't put this plant in shade as it will look leggy
7. It can take some abuse and loves pruning!  In fact, this is a great plant to experiment on when you begin learning how to prune plants. Don't prune in winter.  Wait until the second week of March
8. Nice hedge to use in repetition
9. Beautiful flowers in spring/and a lot of color varieties
10. It's also attractive to a certain Oleander Caterpillar

        Cons

1. Root invasive
2. Poisoness leaves and stems; wear gloves
3. While it does lose leaves, winter can make the plant look shabby and leaves will look burned
4. Can destroy foundations with its' invasive roots
5. Overused in the desert landscape
6. Affected in some parts like Phoenix and California by Oleander Leaf Scorch...more on this on tomorrow's blog.  It's a huge concern for California and several states near California

This is a strong plant that is difficult to kill once established so think carefully before planting.  Stay tuned for more on strong Zone 9 plants!

The Fern Garden at El Presidio

I love ferns, but most of them won't grow in Tucson....so I found similiar leaf structures and patterns and put them together to create a "ferny" look.  This is my fern garden.  

Beautiful Sunny and Hot Day

Greetings, It has been a couple weeks since my last blog. Things have been busy with school coming to an end. I have one more week before summer starts!!! The summer is fast approaching and things are starting to explode all around the garden.....I will be taking A LOT of pics as everything gets taller. The garden is just that....at the beginning of its' journey. Therefore, things are still being moved around until I see a happy plant. Today I moved the lilacs to pots as they seem happier there. So what's been going on? Since the last post, caladiums and elephant ears have all surfaced from the ground and it will be quite a show. The jacaranda tree has purple flowers!!! It took two years for it to happen, but it happened:) The chitalpa tree has nice pink flowers and the castor plants are meeting various success in different areas of the garden. Overall, I am currently VERY happy with the progress around the property. A lot of good things are happening and it's exciting to watch. On the negative side, I am still battling palm seedlings by the hundreds...they seem to keep popping up daily. The last of the oak leaves and pollen will be cleaned up next week. And I pulled up the dead persimmons tree from the ground. The roots were all twisted and matted. It was replaced with another persimmons tree but this one was NOT bare root. Weeds seem to be drying out. Plums have been struggling a bit, but they are green and growing so I will not touch them unless I see a major die back. Overall, it is encouraging to see that things are beginning to pay off.....stay tuned for more garden posts. Chris