THE MAGNIFICENT MANDEVILLA

I had never heard or noticed the existence of Mandevilla before I moved to Texas. And it was just coincidence that I bought two plants at half the cost from “the Wither and Die” racks at Lowes. (I love those racks, I buy loads of plants from them).

The thing was that they had the sweetest plant tags I have ever seen in my life. I even posted it on Instagram! (It got 9 likes, seriously people??)

This was the sole reason for my purchase of my first Mandevillas. The Plant tag looked like something I had never seen before. Like the tag on a tropical drink mix or something.

I planted the two half wilted plants in a container on the patio. They got good soil, some fertilizer and regular water (somewhat at least). And they just delivered. Loads of red flowers, shiny fresh green leaves and grew to a lush big flowering eye-catcher.

The Mandevilla vine in a container on the patio.

I think the most important thing to remember about how to take care of the Mandevilla is to let it stay in a place with some sun and some shade.

Pinch shoots mandevilla — This is how you pinch the shoots to get a bushy look on the Mandevilla vine on your patio.

After the freeze back this winter, it sprouts from the roots again, and I have now pinched some of the fastest growing shoots to keep the plant bushy and lush.

And here are some facts about the Mandevilla Vine:

NAME	Mandevilla, Mandevilla Sun Parasol®, Mandevilla splendens, Mandevilla x amoena. Mandevilla boliviensis
DESCRIPTION	Evergreen, exotic tropical climber. Flowers the whole summer with some care and fertiliser. Stunning red, orange, pink, white or yellow trumpet-shaped flowers. Shiny, leathery, green decorative leaves.
HARDINESS	USDA zone 10 and 11 and probably most of zone 9. Can take some freeze, and will grow back if the root is healthy.
GROWING LOCATION	Sun and some shade. Need well-drained soil with preferably some sand. Much used as a suitable container plant, in hanging baskets, and on patios. If planted in the ground it will need a trellis or something else to climb on.
PRUNING AND CARE	Cut back the vine in early spring before new growth. Blooms on this year shoot so pruning is both desirable and necessary. When the new growth is well underway, limit yourself to pinch shots to avoid losing too much of this summers blooming. The vine needs to dry out between each watering and fertilise the plant regularly in the flowering season.
DISEASES	Little. But they can get spider mites, mealybugs, whiteflies, and aphids. Fusarium rot or blight can occur in cold, wet weather. Spray the plant once a week with Neem oil. Preferably before the problems occur.
SUITABLE FOR	As a container plant and as patio plants and in hanging baskets. As a lush and lovely background plant climbing on walls and trellises. In a slope, I imagine it can be an awesome ground cover. The plant’s expression as a tropical and exotic climber makes it a recommendable plant.