How to Grow Mandevilla Flowers

Mandevilla is a gorgeous vine, growing in popularity because of its showy flowers. The plant comes in four delightful colors; a pink named Alice Dupont, a yellow called White Delight, a red named Red Riding Hood, and a darker red, Ruby Star. When you buy it, it usually is already started on a small trellis. You can leave it in the pot when you get it home or if you live in sub-tropical or tropical parts of the world, you can plant it in the ground against a trellis so it can start its journey up the trellis. You can also put it in a decorative pot because you will bring it inside in winter.

Difficulty:

Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• A trellis for the mandevilla to grow up.
• • Well balanced fertilizer like 8-8-8 for occasional use
• • Mulch

Placing your Mandevilla

1. Put the plant where it will get full sun.

2. Dig a hole before you unpot the mandevilla, then plant it in well drained soil if you put it in the ground. Plant it at the same level it was when potted. You will have to put it back in a pot if you decide to overwinter it in your house.

3. Fertilize with 8-8-8, mulch and water in.

4. Do not over fertilize and force more flowers. This plant will not overwinter in temperatures under 65º F and flowering will slow down if temperatures are near 65º F

5. Water the mandevilla slowly so it gets soaked, but let it dry out between waterings. It does not like wet feet.

Overwintering your Mandevilla

1. Give your mandevilla some fertilizer to harden it off during its cool weather dormancy. The mandevilla is a tropical plant. As the nights get longer and cool off, the mandevilla will start to go dormant. Use a liquid fertilizer with a high middle number e.g. 10-56-14. Use very little so you don't burn the plant.

2. After about 3 weeks if the temperatures do not dip below 65º, prune the plant back to about 12" tall. If it has any pest problems, treat them now.

3. Water less and less until the plant is relatively dry

4. Put the plant in high light when you bring it inside. Continue to keep the plant relatively dry for the winter.When the temperatures rise above 65º in the spring, you can put the pot outside again.

Tips & Warnings

• Treating the mandevilla as an annual can often be easier than trying to overwinter it. Overwinter in the house is not successful much of the time, so it might not be worth the trouble.

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish