I have had this one for years - so long that I can't remember when I got it. I love the tropical look. It reminds me of Hawaii.
SAVING MANDEVILLA OVER THE WINTER
Many people buy a new one every year, not realizing it will keep through to the next year. I've done this two ways. With both methods the important thing is to bring it in before the first frost.
Method 1 - Put it in a crawl space or basement for the winter and forget about it. The plant goes dormant. It looks dead. Then in the spring, even though it was never watered, little pale green shoots start coming out. After the last frost, put it out. At first, put it in a less visible location. It's not exactly pretty at this point. Then sometime around June, put it where you want it to stay for the rest of the summer.
Method 2 - In our new house, we have lots of sunny south windows. The last two years I brought the mandevilla inside before the first frost and put it in front of a sunny window. The first year, I was hoping it would bloom all winter. It didn't. But it did stay green. When I put it out in the spring, it wasn't as unattractive as with method 1, so I didn't need to hide it away. It flowered just a little sooner than with method 1. If you use this method, it is recommended that you cut the plant way back to about 12 inches. I didn't do that these last two years, but this year, I will. Note: If you don't have room in your house, some people have had luck putting the plant inside of a clear plastic bag and placing it in their garage.
CAREIt does best in a location that gets plenty of sun. It can take full sun, but is also fine with a little shade.
It will need something to climb. I usually put it near a fence or rail. My pot has a trellis in it as well, but I didn't pinch back so it outgrew the trellis. I wanted it to climb up my deck rails - and it did as you can see in the photo. You can (and should) pinch off shoots to make a bushier plant. That won't affect the flowering. Next year, I'll probably put it in a different location and I'll pinch it back to keep it short and bushy.
Sometime around June or July, it will begin to flower. When the heat of summer is cooking everything else in sight, the mandevilla is happy as can be.
PROPAGATIONI have thought about getting another mandevilla, but they have become fairly pricey. I love to propagate plants from cuttings so it should have occurred to me that I could do this with the mandevilla. Then last week, while looking up something on the computer, I came across an article on rooting mandevilla. Yippee!
I got three little starters by cutting the tips off three new growth branches on the plant I have. I put them in a very beat up pot which I hope to soon place inside of something more attractive. What can I say? I was in a hurry. According to what I read, I need to keep in a shaded area and keep it moist and humid. It will take 20 to 70 days to root. When it looks like it's growing, I'll move it to a brighter location. Hopefully, it can be put into a larger (and nicer) pot in the spring. We'll see. This is my first time rooting mandevilla. I hope to get a few more cuttings started in the next few weeks.
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Reminder:
I have decided to take the plunge and host a party!
You are Invited!
I don't want to throw a party and be the only one there!
I know it will get better and better.
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I have linked to the following parties:
Thrifty Thursday at Tales from Bloggeritaville
Tuesday Garden Party at An Oregon Cottage
Monday Show Me How at It's a Blog Party
