Sunday, November 20, 2011

Last Days of Mandevilla

Mandevilla
It's great to still have new blooms (and buds) on this plant so late in the year.  This is Mandevilla and it's a tropical (and subtropical) flowering vine that is native to Central and South America.  In my zone, it's an annual.  I plant it every year because it adds vertical interest to a container garden.  You do have to grow it on some type of structure--mine is on a wire trellis that's about 5 feet high.  I plant mandevilla every spring once the night time temperatures are consistently above 55F.

You'll typically find mandevilla with white blooms, red blooms, or pink blooms.  It requires full sun and plenty of water.  It grows super fast and does not require any maintenance on my part. 

I know that people successfully overwinter mandevilla by putting it in a garage or a laundry room that gets some light.  I have a friend in Pennsylvania whose mandevilla is on its 7th year. But my garage has no window and I don't have a laundry room to speak of.  Plus I don't have a lot of extra space to be storing plants indoors so I buy a new plant every year. 

Check out one of my earlier mandevilla posts (from 2008) to read about my planting technique and be sure to add this plant to your shopping list in the spring.

Bookshelf:  Container Gardening Books
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