Mandevilla Vine
The Mandevilla (common name: Rocktrumpet or Trumpet Flower) vine is a beautiful, lush plant that grows in tropical and subtropical areas and is hardy in zones 9–11. Mandevilla species are native to the Southwestern part of the United States, Mexico, Central America, the West Indies, and South America.
The flowers are trumpet-shaped and come in various colors; pink, red, yellow, white, and many shades in between. They have fall blooms and summer blooms. Different varieties of Mandevilla vines grow at different heights; the more significant types tend to climb between 10 to 15 feet tall during a season. You can train them to grow horizontally or vertically as they are vines. Mandevilla grows in Georgia as an Annual or, with a bit of care in winter, as a Perennial.
Many Mandevilla plants are bought in containers and are full of flowers. You can choose to have the plant as a houseplant or transplant it to the ground. If you decide it remains a houseplant, consider that the vine will need a larger pot after some time. Plants can get heavy and hard to move, so initially, choose your area wisely.
Facts to remember:
- Being a twining vine, they need space and support for the vines.
- Place your potted Mandevilla vine in an area that will get bright, indirect light near a sunny window with some protection from the hot midday sun.
- The plant will not bloom when overwintering inside and will be dormant until more brilliant spring light arrives.
- As a houseplant, don’t fertilize in the winter.
- The indoor Mandevilla needs to remain reasonably dry to prevent rot as it is susceptible to root rot in soggy, poorly drained soil.
- You can increase watering and fertilize in spring when you see new growth.
- Mandevilla is heat and drought-tolerant once established.
- Planted in a pot or the ground, Mandevilla needs sandy and loose well-draining soil mixed in with plenty of organic material.
- Since this is a tropical plant, it won’t tolerate temperatures below 45 to 50 degrees F and must overwinter indoors.
- Mandevilla vines need full sun to flower well. However, they can tolerate partial shade, but you may not have as many flowers.
- To get great Mandevilla flowers throughout the summer, give your plant a high phosphorus, water-soluble fertilizer once every two weeks.
- The pinching method of pruning your Mandevilla plant will create a bushier and fuller plant. Pinch of about 1/4 to 1/2 inch of the end of each stem. Pinching will help bring beautiful blooms.
- Growing outdoors, they need water frequently.
- Mandevilla vines thrive in hot weather.
- Prune the vines once a year keeps the plant from becoming unkempt.
- In late winter or early spring, cutting back is done before the plant produces new growth. Summer flowers bloom on new growth.
- Mandevilla does best in an area with the full sun with at least 6 to 8 hours of direct sun each day.
- Mandevilla is low maintenance, disease- and pest-resistant, fast-growing plant. But if you bring Mandevilla indoors for the winter, it can be vulnerable to whiteflies, aphids, scales, spider mites, and mealybugs.
Mandevilla vines are very easy to propagate by cuttings, and spring is the best time to take cuttings. The cuttings are made from tips or side shoots and are about 3 inches long.
While the plant is not edible and can cause some stomach issues, it seems to have a medicinal benefit.
“Mandevilla longiflora, popularly known as “velame” in central Brazil, is a subshrub widely distributed in South America. Its xylopodium (woody stems usually underground) is used in the form of a decoction or infusion to treat inflammation and other ailments.
These findings scientifically evidence for the first time the ethnopharmacological use of M. longiflora to treat chronic inflammatory events, such as asthma, and suggest a potential therapeutic use or complementary therapy for this plant extract.” -
Calimo, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
