Question on Watering for Pittosporum and Photinia

All of these send out spreading roots. If they are established, uneven watering should not be a problem.

The oleander is drought-tolerant and requires less water than the Pittosporum or Photinia.

If you live in southern California, your oleander is doomed. There is a blight that first appeared in San Diego County and is now seen at least as far north as Ventura County. Oleanders are dying, and there is no treatment yet that will save them. I already see dying oleanders in Agoura Hills (LA County) and Thousand Oaks (Ventura County).

Yes, it is quite toxic. But then it is also quite bitter. No one -- especially a child -- would eat enough to cause a problem.

Generally, oleander poisoning occurs in parks. Stupid people cut long thin branches -- vandalizing public property -- and use them as skewers to BBQ hotdogs or toast marshmallows.

A leaf from a peach tree might be more toxic (cyanide) than a leaf from oleander. A pet might die eating foxglove flowers (digitalis) as easily as eating oleander flowers. Watch out for raw rhubarb, star jasmine, holly berries, and other attractive vegetation in our gardens.

I understand that the seeds in an apple are quite toxic. Unbroken, they travel through the digestive tract without any problem. Even slightly broken while chewing the edible part of an apple, they can make you ill.

One of the worst is the kernel inside a peach pit. It looks like an almond (a close relative). It can kill you.