(Mandevilla spp.; formerly Dipladenia splendens)

 Mandevilla (also known as “pink allamanda”) is a tender, woody Brazilian vine that continually blooms with 3- to 4-inch wide trumpets with white and gold throats. The flowers, which can be pink, butter yellow, red, or dark ruby, are in clusters which open from unusual scrolled flower buds.

These vines bloom most heavily in summer, but will bloom off and on year round indoors. Mandevilla’s leathery oval leaves are a glossy dark green, up to 8 inches long by 3 to 4 inches wide, and contrast nicely with the showy flowers. Given trellis support and a large enough pot, mandevillas will twine up to 10 or 20 feet high, depending on the variety of the plant.

Hardy to Zone 8b*mandevilla vines do not do well in temperatures below 55ºF. That means that these are great plants to use on patios and portals in spring and summer as long as temperatures stay warm and the pot is kept in a place that is slightly shaded in the afternoon.

Use a well-drained potting mix containing plenty of perlite, such as Ferti-Lome Ultimate Potting Mix (available at Payne’s). Provide a trellis for each plant and hold the vine in place with soft plant ties or florist’s wire, loosely tied so that as the vine grows, its stems can be retied.

Water mandevillas regularly throughout the summer, allowing the top inch of soil to dry between waterings. Feed every two weeks with a high-potassium liquid fertilizer (the third number on the fertilizer label), diluted by half while the plant is growing and flowering.

Pinch off the old flowers as they fade and, in late fall, cut back the vine by one-third to one-half in order to keep its size manageable and stimulate a new bloom cycle (mandevillas flower on new wood).

Mandevilla vines need to be moved  inside before temperatures drop below 55ºF. Indoors mandevillas can thrive as container house plants as long as they get bright light with some direct sunshine. They go partially dormant in winter, so stop fertilizing and reduce watering, taking care never to permit the plant dry out completely. In spring, repot to the next larger pot size, and resume regular watering and fertilizing.

*Most of greater Santa Fe is in Zones 5b to 6a—click here to find your Zone