mandevilla "bush"?

hi all,
i was at lowe's today, and saw a lovely red mandevilla they were selling in small containers, in a huge display out front...no id card, but the plastic pots themselves had a bunch of information about the brand, nursery, light requirements, etc etc...there was nothing in the info that mentions how large this would get...i thought that mandevillas were vines, but they were marketing this as though it was a versatile plant ("for patio pots, trellises or in the garden") ...they didn't call it a vine, they didn't have any bamboo sticks in there for it to climb, and it was pruned as though it was a short bush...

my questions:
- are there mandevillas that aren't vines?
- if indeed there are mandevilla shrubs/bushes, approximately how large do they get?

i have a very narrow bed along my back fence and would love these gorgeous flowers, but i can't put a huge shrub in this bed...

- could i take something that is normally large, and just keep it pruned short/narrow? or does that affect its health or prevent it from flowering properly?

i could not find a latin name for this beauty, the pot was just a huge commercial for the growers and the name was "crimson something or other"...

any information would be greatly appreciated!

-abl

There are some that are shrubbier. They're a sort of viney shrub though so if you're trying to keep it narrow you should be able to train it how you want it.

There are several with crimson in the name, any of these sound familiar? http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/adv_search.php?searcher%5Bcommon%5D=&searcher%5Bfamily%5D=&searcher%5Bgenus%5D=mandevilla&searcher%5Bspecies%5D=&searcher%5Bcultivar%5D=crimson&searcher%5Bhybridizer%5D=&searcher%5Bgrex%5D=&search_prefs%5Bblank_cultivar%5D=&search_prefs%5Bsort_by%5D=rating&images_prefs=both&Search=Search

thanks ecrane,
those names don't look familiar...but it's hard to say...i might make a trip back to lowes and get more information off the pot...i know sometimes the grower has a web site too, and maybe there would be more info there..

if i keep training it to keep it short and narrow to fit my bed, will that affect it's health or the number of blooms? in other words, should "big shrubs" remain big to thrive?

also, i've never grown mandevilla before, so i don't know how often i should prune or what time of year, in order to keep it blooming...

i'll try and get the exact name for you soon...

thanks for your help so far!

Can you let it get tall and just keep it narrow? If you are trying to keep it really tiny then you may end up sacrificing blooms. Since you said the area was next to a fence I assumed you could at least let it get 4 ft tall or so which should be fine, but if you're trying to keep it super short you may lose blooms.

I recently bought a red mandevilla at Lowe's also so I imagaine that we got the same one. Mine is stubby but has so many buds and blooms I can't count them all. I've had this plant for about a month and I have 2 viney things around a trellis we had. I could cut those off and the plant wouldn't suffer. I have mine in full sun for right now but my DD told me that I would have to move it soon to a less bright place when it gets hotter. I don't prune anything unless it needs it for shape or because of a dead branch - but then, I don't mess w/my plants the way some gardeners do. I garden a lot by benign neglect but watering and fertilizing at the right times. Hope this helps.

Ann