Mandevilla Flower

Has anyone had a Mandevilla plant. This is my first one and I'm not sure how to take care of it.

For starters they won't be hardy in your zone so you'll either have to treat it as an annual or have a plan for where to keep it over the winter. Because of that I'd definitely keep it in a pot rather than putting it in the ground. Put it in a nice sunny place, water & fertilize and enjoy the blooms! I don't know how they do with more water, but I usually just watered mine when it was starting to dry out, and I'd give it a bit of Ironite every so often (there may be better fertilizers, I generally use that for all my container plants and didn't see any reason to treat it differently than the others)

I just got one, too. They aren't hardy in the ground even in Dallas, so I put it in a very large pot on the front porch. The instructions that came with it said lots of sun, easy on the water (but don't let it dry out completely).

The location I picked faces southwest, but gets partial shade from the overhang from around 3:00 p.m. on, so it gets lots of sun, but doesn't bake.

So far, it's responding well to that treatment. Several leaves turned yellow and dropped off right after repotting, but not since, so I'm assuming it suffered a bit of transplant shock.

I usually have them every year in pots on the patio as well as hanging baskets. They do get sun but not all day long and have always done well. Last year I had one that got late afternoon sun only and it eventually completely covered this rack I put over it. I treat them as annuals and noticed they have them in bright red...need to get one of those!

I love my Mandevilla, have the bright red one, but I have to grow it in my conservatory here in Scotland, it flowers right up to Christmas if well fed and I keep pinching out the growing tips on each stem as they appear, this helps to bulk/bush them out as well as up, the only trouble I have ever had is this spring I got greenfly on it, but got rid as soon as I noticed and it never took hold, you need to watch out for the white milky sap from the stems as you dead head or nip out the tips of the stems, it weeps for a moment then seems to dry up, try to stop this sap landing on the leaves as it discolours them I just use a tissue to wipe this away, enjoy your plant, they are wonderful. Good Luck. WeeNel.

Just noticed your location, WeeNel. I haven't been in Siorrachd Inbhir Àir since I visited Carrick in 1982. I was there in April, and it was -cold-, but not as bad as Inverness.

I'd love to go back someday.

Thank everyone for the information on the Mandevilla. So far it is doing well. The weather here is still cool at night (around 45-50) so I have been bringing it in the house at night until it warms up a little. I will let you know how it does.

Hi Dallasdad, you picked the 2 coldest places in UK in April, but beautiful also, May is normally the best more settled weather hear but last year we had no summer at all and I am just about having to start my garden year now, very late, but better than never I say, our weather is just starting to warm up a bit, some nights still cool to cold, but the days are lighter so all the plants are doing better now, still to plant out my veg seeds too, really late for here on the west coast of the country. dont wait too long before you return.
Best wishes. WeeNel.

I had a 6 foot wrought iron obelisk made this spring in Fl. I planted three Mandevilla vines around the base.
I go to N.H. for the summer and a neighbor took care of it for me. Returned Oct. 8th to the most beautiful sight
you could imagine. Hundreds of blossoms!!!! He fertilized it once a week. Does anyone know if they will winter
over outside in Fl. I heard they would. Do I cut them cut them way back when it gets near freezing?
They aren't very expensive here so will buy more if they don't live. They are worth it.

What zone are you in? Some places in FL they'll be fine but if you're in an area that gets much frost then they may not. I wouldn't cut them back until spring--if you do get some cold damage, the outer part of the plant may die, but it will protect the inner part to some degree so you will probably have less of the plant die if you leave it alone than if you cut it back now. Once spring comes around and you can tell which branches are going to leaf out again, then you can cut out the dead parts.