Question
I have Oleanders and would like to know if it is normal for the leaves to become brittle during the winter? When is the proper time for pruing and shaping them?

Answer
You don't say what region or state you live in. Here in eastern North Carolina, our oleanders look bad - the cause was extreme cold. Oleander can survive frigid temperatures, but this is nature's way of telling most gardeners that some plants are better left in warmer climates. Here in Greenville, we had a low of 13 degrees on at least two nights and several nights below 20. This causes the oleander leaves to die and fall off. I would wait before I pruned the plants, as you cannot be sure how badly they have been damaged by cold. I suspect some of the stems have been killed. If you really want to go ahead and prune, it won't harm the oleander, but you might have to cut off some dead branches after they put out new growth in the spring. In a normal year, it's OK to prune oleander in the early spring. In our nursery, it seems the white varieties are more cold hardy. Also, avoid fertilizing late season, as this makes the plant put out more tender growth that is prone to cold damage. Worst case scenario - if the plant does not put out any new growth in the next month, don't give up hope. They still might be alive and may sprout at the ground level.
Hope this helps. Thank You, Doug Roberson