Comments on: Mandevilla

By: Vivian

Vivian — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 22:07:30 +0000

Are there any known allergies to this plant? Since transplanting the Dipladenia to bring it inside for the winter, I have broken out on my hands and arms, similar to poison.

Hi Vivian
The sap can also be a skin irritant. All parts of the plant are considered poisonous when eaten. (www.ces.ncsu.edu)

By: kristy

kristy — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 21:22:20 +0000

hi I live in new hampshire and bought a mandeville, no problems it was beautiful but because of the cold winters and the ground freezing. will the plant come back? maybe if covered with hay r brought in the house?

Hi Kristy
See http://hortchat.com/info/winterize-mandevilla, it should give you the info you’re looking for.

By: vilasini

vilasini — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 18:13:00 +0000

i live in kerala,india i have a mandeville and want to know how to care the plant in our hot & humid weather in this part .can it be put on ground or should it be in pots only? how much sun /or should it be in shade/

Hi Vilasini
Mandevilla is a tropical plant and I assume your climate is tropical. It will do well in your part of the world. You can plant it in the ground in full to part sun. Make sure the soil drains well and it gets plenty of water during the hot season. If your temperatures gets really hot them plant it in semi-shade.

By: Marge Brown

Marge Brown — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 15:34:18 +0000

I have two mandevilla plants. All summer they bloomed beautifully and were stunning. I waited too long to bring them inside and the flowers drooped and the leaves are all dry and brittle. I live in Minnesota. I have it in a sunny window, but don’t know weather to water it for the winter and hope it survives or cut it back and leave it dry for the winter. Or cut it back and water it for the winter and hope for the best in the spring. Help!!

Hi Marge
Well I guess you will have to make a decision, either store it dormant or try to get it to grow. The same thing happened to me this year. My mandevilla vines have lost all their leaves. I cut it back to 6 inches and will store it in the basement for the winter. I will check on the soil occasionally to make sure it doesn’t dry out. Hopefully, it will come back next spring. I didn’t want to force new growth by keeping it in a sunny window because the new growth will most likely be weak and spindly. In addition, I have too many plants to store indoors for the winter.

By: Judie Heydt

Judie Heydt — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 21:10:42 +0000

I purchased my first Mandevilla plant in June, and it has flourished. I planted it in its original pot, as I had hopes of taking it to Florida for the winter (January to May). Should I fertilize it now and trim it back to its original size to fit the trellis before bringing it indoors? Will it adjust to Florida, or will it go dormant for a while? I would love to bring it back with me in May!!! Look forward to hearing from you. Thank you. Judie

Hi Judie
You can trim your mandevilla to fit the trellis and give it a light fertilizer when you bring it indoors. As long as you keep the plant in a sunny window it will continue to grow and not go dormant. Your mandevilla will love Florida and probably grow well-maybe so much that you’ll have to trim it before you bring it back.

By: Sunny

Sunny — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 03:49:57 +0000

Propagate mandevilla
Can I ask how you propogate them? Whatever you are doing, seems to be successful.

Hi Sunny
Stem cutting from mandevilla can be taken in the spring. Choose side shoots 2-3 inches long (dip the cut end in rooting hormone- optianal) and insert in sandy peat soil. Keep cutting moist(not too wet)and supply extra humidity with a plastic bag or propagating case until roots form then plant in 3″ pots. Pinch back new growth to promote side shoots and bushier plants.

By: Virginia Frantz

Virginia Frantz — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 20:43:42 +0000

I have two giant Crimson Mandevillas which have been spectacular. I would love to try to winter them, preferably in the dormant stage because of room. However my plant says "annual". Does this mean that some are annual and some perennial and I would not be able to winter them? I have tried to winter them before but my plants were rather disappointing the following year and bloomed sparsely. I have decided after reading this site, that I had not been trimming them enough when the new growth started. Some said they were inexpensive enough to buy each spring, but all the plants I find are at least $20 but they are thriving blooming plants that I keep in pots all summer. .

Hi Virginia Mandevillas are considered annuals in cold regions where they cannot tolerate freezing temperatures but you can still winter them over inside. See the winterize mandevilla article. I think the trick to get them to bloom more is to fertilize with a bloom boost (higher middle #) during the growing season.

By: Joanne

Joanne — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 16:22:18 +0000

This is such an interesting site, thank you. Was just checking on winterizing our four plants. One is over ten years old (wish I could send you a picture of it, breathtaking). They do need to be fed every two weeks during the spring and summer. We have just been playing it by ear, and after reading all this advice, found out we were doing things just right.

Thanks for your input. You’re a natural green thumb!

By: Jim

Jim — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 00:52:04 +0000

I was just reading over the comments on here and was really surprised by the number of people having problems with their mandevillas. Some observations: the pink is the strongest of the types – reds and whites don’t seem to be as vigorous. For two years I’ve grown mine on either side of the entrance to my front porch – eastern exposure – full sun until around noon. On one side there is a downspout from the rain gutters – that plant gets lots of water and, while it has good drainage, the ground stays wet – IT DOES GREAT! The other plant (while it still does well) is only about 1/2 to 2/3 the size – I try to keep it watered every few days. I don’t try to save mine when the cold weather comes here in North Carolina – they are cheap enough to replace each year. I think that since mine are never really stressed may be the reason I never have bug issues.

I do have a question however – in a tropical setting without a dry season – do these plants flower 12 months a year?

Hi Jim
I’m not sure if mandevilla would bloom continually throughout the year. Most plants will bloom heavily at a certain time of year and then bloom less, (if at all) the rest of the season.

By: Tom

Tom — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 12:11:41 +0000

I never see bees or buterflies on my mandevilla. Do the blooms have nectar?