I'm brand new to gardening in texas. This is my first year and I have about 800sf of beds and flowers and so far, so good. But I'm discovering new plants I love all the time. I saw some mandevillas this week that are so beautiful but my mother-in-law said she and some friends have tried them and they never get good blooms. I'd also like to try some clematis next year. There are some beautiful hybrids out there. But before I already break next year's bank, I wanted to get some input from some of you more experienced folks out there. Any advice on either the mandevilla or the clematis? I'm not experienced at grouping plants either so I've been told my garden looks "whimsical". I just kind of planted what I thought would look nice together. Anyway, any input on the above 2 plants would be much appreciated, thanks!!
Mandevillas and Clematis in TX
mandevilla has been a bust for me. clematis has been very successful, but I had to learn to mulch well around the root base. this plant lets you know quickly that it doesn't like it hot at the bottom. I have some that grow very well in full sun and Nelly Moser which grows very well in part sun.
The forum has a lot of posters who know and grow a lot of clematis.
Hi greenie, welcome to Texas and DG's!
vossner is right about the clematis and it liking its roots kept cool and moist with a lot of mulch. I have managed to kill more clematis than I have been successful with. Sweet autumn clematis has done the best for me and it smells wonderful. From my experience in my yard with the clematis I have grown, I have learned that a regimen of afternoon shade with sun in the morning and again in the late afternoon to evening really helped the clematis do its best.
I have had more success with mandevilla than clematis. For years I treated mandevilla as an annual and would buy a new plant each year. Well, that gets costly at 25 bucks a pop. So, cheapskate at heart that I have become, about three years ago I tried overwintering it and it worked well.
I have never put a mandevilla in the ground. I keep it in an appropriately sized pot (have upgraded when necessary) and let it fill up a trellis until just before the first frost. When that is predicted in the fall, I simply cut all the branches growing to the trellis and bring the pot inside for the winter and give it minimal care. In the spring when the last possibly frost date is past, I set it outside again and let it start up the trellis for the next growing season. Below is a pic of my mandevilla as of today.
This is my first year with the mandevilla. I have them in pots that get morning sun up until about 2pm. Then it's shade. They have finally taken off and are really growing with lots of new bud formations. I plan to over winter mine also.
Thanks for your help! I have always read that clematis like their "feet cool and their head in the sun" so I was considering not only mulching but maybe planting some mini stella d'oro daylilies around the base to keep their feet shaded. I have a small greenhouse for overwintering plants when needed which is really convenient. Lowe's has these really big whiskey barrels for around $20 each so I thought about getting a couple of those for the mandevillas along with some lattice for a trellis. We ran out of back yard this year so I may do my herb garden in a couple of those as well. My mother-in-law planted some purple and orange lantana in one and it looks great. Maybe I'll see if I can talk her into giving mandevilla another try. Thanks again!