Monday, September 7, 2009

Winterize a Mandevilla Vine




I have always loved the beautiful blooms on the Mandevilla
and Bougainvillea vines that other gardeners have shared
through their pictures. Being a northern gardener they were
really not practical to purchase just as annuals.
Living in an older home with large Maple trees in the front
where the windows were blocked from the best sunlight was
another reason or excuse not to purchase them.



When I saw one small poorly cared for Mandevilla
vine at half price I could not resist in bringing it home
with me. I am hoping to keep it indoors this winter in
the small shelved greenhouse that I purchased to overwinter
other plants. I was able to keep a few plants last winter
with good results so maybe the vine will keep blooming. If the
light is not antiquate for it , it may go dormant over the winter,
which would be fine also and then it can be kept in the
basement for the winter.



I put it into a new and larger pot and added a little
compost to the potting soil. Placed it in a sunny spot
on the front porch. Since then it has started taking
off beautifully and is blooming so pretty.



It is now climbing out of the pot and up the wrought
iron rails on the porch. I took these pictures a couple of
weeks ago and it has grown even more since then. It will
be pinched back since the vines are going everywhere
which will also help to make it bushier.



The beautiful pink blooms with the yellow throats are
so pretty. I am enjoying looking at it as I set out on the
front porch so it has been worth the money already.
Before I bring it in for the winter I will prune it back
to about 12 inches from the soil line.



Mandevilla Dipladenia splendens

Here are some guidelines I found when researching the
care for Mandevilla vines over winter:

To winterize the plant; either treat it as a houseplant or
store it in a dormant stage. Mandevilla as a houseplant can
be trimmed back to make it manageable and needs a sunny
window
to flourish. Water once a week. You will get some
leaf drop due to lower light and humidity indoors.
Another way to winterize mandevilla is in a dormant stage
in a garage or cool basement with temperatures around
45-55F. Cut it back to about 12 inches above the soil line.
Treat for insects if any. Keep it dry but not completely dry.
Check periodically for soil moisture. It will drop its
leaves. The important thing to keep in mind is that you
want to keep it alive it through the winter. In the spring
some of the old growth may be pruned back and when
new shoots develop move the plant to a sunny window.
Pinch the new growth to get a bushier plant. Repot in
fresh soil and set outside when danger of frost has passed.



Happy Gardening Everyone and Hope You
are all Having a Wonderful Holiday Weekend!




12 comments:

Helen said...

That is a beautiful plant. I had one once and over wintered it but didn't try to the next year. Helen

Anonymous said...

Hi Lona~~ Beautiful plant. My friend Carol has wintered over Mandavilla. She said her biggest issue was aphids. I notice the info mentions briefly to spray for insects. This should probably be reiterated several times. LOL. Good luck!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the info on the mandevilla vine. I think I'm going to trim it to 12" and put it in the window of my classroom. It's a sunny room, with western exposure. Last year I over-wintered a lantana hanging basket. It started looking a bit rugged, but it made it, and the humming birds and I have enjoyed it this summer. Hope it works for you!
Jennifer in WV

Catherine@AGardenerinProgress said...

What a pretty one you found. I hope you can overwinter it. I've never tried before and they are annuals here too. I hope we get to see it blooming next summer!

Stephanie said...

This plant grows well here and out in the open. Everytime I am in a nursery I am so tempted to get one. The flowers are so lovely. Over here, some people just call this plant Alamanda as the flowers look the same. With much sunlight, I hope the vine will grow fast to cover the rods and make your porch look more beautiful later. Happy gardening!

Muhammad khabbab said...

Ah, what a pretty flower. This plant is very much suitable to our climate but not available here. Included in my seeds-required-at-every-cost list specially Mandevilla laxa the fragrant one.

Lona said...

Helen: I will try a plant once to see if I can kill it ;-) If it makes it I will be pleased.

Grace:LOL, I will really have to spray it here those little things are always around somewhere.

Jennifer: That sounds like the perfect spot for one. You may have to set it on a bowl of rocks with water added to get some humidity going to it.

Catherine: I hope I get to see it bloom next summer too ;-)

Stephanie: Thanks for the interesting tidbit. I wish I lived in a climate where I did not have to drag plants in.

Khabbab: That is a good idea. I wish this one was more fragrant. I hope you have better luck with seeds than I do. I waste more seeds ;-)

Tootsie said...

I got my first one this year too...same reasons as yours...and I potted it up...and hope to keep it in the greenhouse over the winter...good luck to you friend!

Kelly said...

I have one in red on my deck. I just assumed it would have to be an annual, but maybe I can repot mine and bring it in as well for the winter. The hummingbirds are flocking to it now (pretty much ignoring it for other plants during the summer). Thanks for inspiring me to try to save it!!

Debbies Doodle said...

Thank you Thank you...I have 2 of them. So every year i have put one on my mail box.. every year i try to save them... i have not had any luck doing that.. but maybe with your help i can do this time.
When I cut them down.. do i leave stems or leaves..???
Thanks,
Deb

Lona said...

Tootsie; As good as you are with plants and having the greenhouse you will have no problem at all my friend. With your short season I know the greenhouse must be such a blessing.

Kelly; Pot that baby up and give it a try. You have nothing to loose.

Debbie: Hi there it has been awhile! Just pot them up and bring them inside, and cut them back to about 12 inches tall. It will most likely loose some of its leaves or go dormant but they will come back when it warms up in the spring to put them back out.
Keep them where the temperature does not go below 45 degrees.

Jan said...

Hi Lona, what a lovely post this is--photos and information! I've never had a Mandavilla and I knew nothing about them until now...so thanks for this;-) I'm not sure, but I think it would probably be an annual here, too...as our winter temps get quite cold. My parents lived in the Akron area for over 20 yrs, and I went to grad school in Youngstown so I know Ohio weather. Not sunny enough most of the time;-( But my mother had a gorgeous garden and could grow so many things that don't do well here because of our heat and humidity in the summer. I hope you'll have good luck with this over the winter! Can't believe we're headed into the cooler weather already. Where did summer go? It's still warm here but once Sept is over, Oct. will start to look like fall;-( Oh well, the seasons will change and life will go on...and I am thankful for that! Take care;-) Jan