Winterize Mandevilla
Tips on how to preserve Mandevilla through the winter months.
Mandevilla (Dipladena) are tropical vines, hardy (depending on cultivars) in zones 9-11. They tolerate a minimum temperature of 45-50 F at which time growth will begin to slow down. In colder regions it is usually grown as an annual but can be saved indoors for the next season. For winter storage keep the plant outside as long as possible before bringing it indoors. Check the plants for insects and spray with insecticidal soap if needed.
Two ways to winter over Mandevilla
1. Houseplant
Treat it as a houseplant. Mandevilla can be trimmed to make it more manageable indoors and it needs a bright, sunny window to flourish through the winter. You will get some yellowing and leaf drop due to lower light and humidity. Water once a week, keeping it on the dry side. Don’t fertilize in the winter. In spring, when you see new growth, increase watering and start to fertilize.
2. Dormant stage
Another way to winterize mandevilla is in a dormant stage by storing it in a garage or cool basement with temperatures around 45-55F. Cut it back to about 12 inches above the soil line and treat for insects if needed. Keep it dry but not completely dry. Check periodically for soil moisture. Mandevilla will eventually drop all its leaves. The important thing is that you want to keep it alive through the winter.
In early spring, prune back any spindly winter growth and if pot bound repot in fresh soil. When new shoots begin to grow, fertilize lightly and move the plant to a sunny window. Pinch the new growth to get a bushier plant. Set it outside when danger of frost has passed or night temperatures are above 55.
I live in Charlotte NC and I have some Mandeville in pots. We had a very hot summer this year and the plants did great. Now the temps are getting lower, and I am just not sure how to handle my plants. They are not real big about 1 ft. or so, but some have vines that are climbing. Should I bring them in and treat them as a houseplant. I do have right now a extra bedroom where I could put them in, or do you think I should bring them in and let them go dormant. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
My mandevilla got touched by some frost here in GA. They look pretty bad. Can they be salvaged or should I look to getting some new ones in the spring?
is there any particular soil you would recommend for potting the mandevilla?
we had cold winter and all died but the roots look good.Now we are in may it hasn’t grown above ground so i took the huge ball of roots to garden and planted.It was a huge pot. Any sugestions
I found plants 6 to a pot they look dead it be a shame to tose them can i bring them to life again
Every spring, I plant a new mandevilla splendens (the kind with the big oval leaves). It grows great usually through the beginning of the summer. But in the latter part of summer or early fall, it always starts to get yellow leaves at the bottom and they fall off. They don’t wilt first so I doubt this is southern wilt. The yellowing gradually moves up the vine. The other green leaves start to look a paler green and look dry. The vine eventually dies. This is happening now. I’ve sprayed it with Bayer 3 in 1 for spider mites two weeks ago. And last week I sprayed it with a systemic fungicide. It doesn’t seem better. Is this a nutrition problem? The first year or two I planted mandevillas, they flourished through the start of winter when I cut them back and mulched them. Those years they came back in the spring. But after the first 2 years they started this dying thing. Help!
Hi I have a plant in a fairly large pot (24 inch) that is three years old now. It has grown up to be about 9 foot tall but is starting to look very leggy with few flowers and leaves on the bottom 7 feet or so. I water and fertilize it regularly and it was looking good until recently. Should I cut it back or increase the fertilizer to get more growth on the bottom?
Thanks Kevin
Hi Kevin
Both. It won’t hurt to trim back your madevilla. You trim up to 1/3 of the plant. It will promote lateral growth. Also feed it to stimulate new growth. Make sure it gets enough sun.
I love my Mandeville plants..I had 2 plants 3 yrs ago that were beautiful and survived outside all winter long. I just threw a sheet over them in frosty nights. I moved them on south side of house and would cover on blustery nights. I live in southwest Louisiana. Then we had a really bad winter and I lost them. I don’t think I have found that variety of them again cause their blooms were abundant and big and their leaves seemed bigger. But it took me 3 yrs to find some more. I have 5 now! They are in clay pots. Always had mine in pots. They don’t seem as large leafed and blooms are definately smaller but I was still very happy I found them. We havent been below 36 degrees at nite and we are in 70s at day or 60s. Ive left them outside. But tonight its suppose to be 35 so I’m worried. But day temps still in 60s. Its only tonight and tomorrow night and the next three nights in the 40s. If I move them to south side of house and uo against the house do you think they will be ok? Our days are still fairly warm. Theres only about 6 hrs of dropping temps I guess. And maybe 2 or 3 sustained hrs at the low. Wish I could post photos. 🙁
I live in Minnesota and love the plant. How do I re-pot it?
Got it from my daughter for Mothers Day
Shirley
Do dipladenia prefer to be rootbound? I put in larger pot when I brought indoors. Just curious.
Hi. I had one of these beautiful mandevilla. My husband was going to throw it out because we live in New Jersey. When he cut the vines out, dumped the old dirt out he then saw all the bulbs that did not die during the frost. He washed all the bulbs off. Do we dry them out as you do with the Canna or do we resoil and plant the bulbs indoors or wrap them up and store in the dark. Please help I love this plant
What heppened? Did they grow back?
Silly me but I didn’t take this plant in last winter in Detroit, MI. I cut one stem to the ground and left one stem on the trellis. I mulched them with day lilies and hosta leaves over the winter. Both vines came back bushier over this past summer.
Hi,
I overwintered my mandevilla in our sunroom, where the temp was about 55 all winter with good indirect light. In April I cut them back (tons of spindly vines) and fed them. Put them outside Memorial Day. Despite regular feeding, they have grown bushy, lush foliage, but no blossoms. Any advice?
Am in zone 8a, just bought one of these beautiful plants and was hoping to train it to grow along my fence. Now from all I have read, it seems I should rethink and just have it grow on a trellis. Do you think it would work on a fence?
Secondly, I was hoping to plant in ground as I have the perfect soil for this plant, but I am worried about killing it when I have to dig it up for winter. about how far around the base will root system grow, or more precisely how far out from the plant should I shovel out from?
I live in AZ and last year we planted two mandevillas. During winter we had a freak cold snap that got below freezing. I just dug one up thinking that it was completely dead, but much to my surprise the roots were like long sweet potatoes and looked healthy. So should I just cut the other on down to just below ground level? If I do will it come back?
Prune Mandevilla
I love this site. FINALLY found one with great info on mandevilla plant and not just questions. I live in the Cleveland Ohio area. In fall I brought my plant inside. I didn’t know I was to trim it back. Is it too late? Also, leaves are turning yellow and dropping, getting sparse. Should I trim it or is it too late. Any help is appreciated!
My mandeville are hanging baskets. I bring them into my basement each year to winter. They need to be repotted. How do I handle the roots? Should I trim them back?
I purchased two of these plants and put them in the ground in a flower bed how can I leave them in the ground during the winter? What can
I do so I don’t have to dig them up? I don’t have any place to store them over the winter? I live in Memphis TN I think I’m in zone 7.
Hi BJK, I’m near Nashville. I was wondering if you tried to keep your Mandevilla’s alive inside during the winter, and if so, how did it go? I have three in window boxes that I’d like to bring inside and try to keep going until the spring. If you have any tips or tricks I would certainly appreciate it! Thank you 🙂
Help!!!! I brought in 2 mandevillas in for the winter. I have to admit I’d did forget about them and the soil went dry a couple times. I watered them but didn’t let them sit in the water. It is now the end of February and I see no green on them and they look like I’m growing 2 pots of sticks. where do I go from here. Do I bring them out and put them in the sun? are they dead?
Repot mandevilla
Hi & thanks for the great info! Just curious if now would be the time to thin/repot my Mandevilla. It takes up nearly all of the pot it is currently in, and I had thought about separating it into 2 smaller plants. Will this harm the plant? Should I simply repot into a bigger pot and leave the root system be?
winterover mandevilla dormant
Hello – I have about 15 pretty pink mandavilla’s around my home. Boy are these beautiful. I need to save for next year. 5 are hanging plants, 6 are potted & on trellis and the rest in the ground. Can I keep these in my basement in my home without any sunlight or will they die. My kitchen/den get all the sun but I do not have the room for all these plants.
Thanks so much!
Hello again and thank you for the info- could you be more specific on cutting back to 12″. all my potted and hanging came on an arched trellis. they are all vined at this time and still blooming. second, can i dig up the ones in my yard to save or do i leave them alone. do mandvilla’s need light when winterized in basement. i plan on giving a systemic insecticide and maybe a spray before i bring indoors.
thanks again
Stacie you do not mention your heat zone, if below 9 as noted above, you need to dig them up. Store them where it is cool and follow directions above. You do not need to worry about light, can be dark.
growing tip
Hi, Karen: my mandevilla is probably 5 years old. I also bring it indoors for the winter (Wisconsin). Its leaves turn yellow and drop but it continues to grow and flower. I have it sitting in a sunny room with about 65 degree temps. I don’t water it as much in the winter as I do in the spring and summer. I fertilize in the spring and take it out in the summer. This year with the very hot temps we’ve been having for extended periods it hasn’t been blooming as much as last summer despite me watering it. I have it in a sunny location for most of the day. The only time I prune mine is in the winter because the tendrils get very wild so I snip them off. Final word – persevere; you’re doing fine.
Marilyn I also live in Wisconsin and bought a mandevilla this year to replace the one I lost when I lived in SD I think I know where I went wrong there as we had a wood stove and I had most my plants in that room. LOL! My other plants did great but not that one I must of cooked it. I know this is a old post but how much water do you think I should give mine? water once a month thoroughly or a inch once a week I read that some where to, or an inch once a month any help would be appreciated. Thanks.
Not blooming after wintering
Hi, I have a question about my mandevilla. How do I get them to start flowering again after being inside all winter? I have beautiful foliage and lots of vines but no flowers. I live in Michigan and don’t have full sun anywhere on my property. Last year the flowers never stopped.
Janet, my limited experience with wintering over various Mandevillas would suggest that some types are simply more vigorous in putting out vines, others vigorous bloomers, and some just slow to go after being dormant for months.
We live in San Diego and have people to clean up the garden when necessary. They cut the Mandeville down to the bulb. They are growing outside, in a box against the fence. Will they come back or did they kill them?
Dormant in heated garage
I moved and trimmed my Mandevilla the last of October. I live in Indiana. Trimmed to about twelve inches and put in a garage room which is heated. Should I move it somewhere else. Have little room in garage which is cooler once the temperature drops. Have not watered as yet. Was told about once a month to give it a good drink. Should a little fertilizer be added?
Dick
I am currently moving my Mandevilla plants inside an enclosed porch. How much should I trim from the plants, mine are quite large. I just left them in the pots and moved them inside and have not trimmed any of the foilage off. They are still blooming. In winter I try to keep the temperature on the porch around 40-45. I hope that they make it ok, I live in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Harmful to pets
I am currently winterizing my Mandevilla plant, but I have 2 cats in the house. Is this plant harmful to my pets?
When and how do you prune the Mandeville vine in southern California ?
Thank for this great information regarding how to winterize mandevilla! I discovered these beautiful plants late last year after years of bad luck with first holly hocks and then clematis between some long windows in the front of my house. I bought four mandevilla at a special discount to “try out” late in the season from my local greenhouse last year and they were fantastic and so was excited to get them again this year but was not so crazy about the price :(. So when the woman at the greenhouse told me they would survive the winter indoors I was very excited — but have been unsure how to do it and now I’ve found you all! Just one question: HOW MUCH OF THE ROOTS SHOULD I SAVE??? THANKS AGAIN FOR THE GREAT INFO!!!