Mandevilla

Mandevilla  is a genus of tropical and subtropical flowering vines belonging to the dogbane family, Apocynaceae. It was first described as a genus in 1840. A common name is rocktrumpet.

Mandevillas develop spectacular, often fragrant flowers in warm climates. The flowers come in a variety of colours, including white, pink, yellow, and red. Many hybrids have been developed, mainly deriving from M.×amabilis, M. splendens, and M. sanderi.
As climbers, Mandevillas can be trained against a wall or trellis to provide a leafy green and often flowering picture of beauty. They have a tendency to attract insects like mealybugs and scales.

While Mandevilla scabra is sometimes used as an additive to the psychedelic drink Ayahuasca, there is no evidence that it is psychoactive in its own right. It is, however, considered to be toxic.

Bold and showy, mandevilla definitely makes a dramatic statement in landscapes and container gardens. This tropical vine bears a nonstop supply of large, trumpet-shaped blooms in shades of red, pink, and white.  It's also lovely in landscape beds and borders -- and is frequently used to climb up and over arbors, trellises, and mailbox posts. 

Because it flowers almost constantly, you can grow this flowering vine by itself or in combination with other flowers and foliage in container gardens. It works well as an annual vine in the North when planted in garden beds and borders; you can plant it as a landscape vine in frost-free Zone 10.

Note: Older varieties of mandevillas were all climbing vines, but some newer varieties offer attractive mounding habits and don't need supports to climb up. Also, you may also sometimes see this tropical plant referred to as dipladenia.  


Grow mandevilla in a spot where it gets full sun and stays moist, but not wet. Because it is a tropical, mandevilla cannot tolerate frost. Gardeners in cold-winter climates can treat it as an annual or move it indoors and treat it as a houseplant until the spring, when all danger of frost has passed and it can go back outside. In frost-free regions, grow mandevilla as an evergreen perennial that flowers much of the year. 

You can prune mandevilla any time of the year if you need to keep it in check. It responds well to light pruning.

Fertilize mandevilla regularly in the spring and summer months to keep this flowering vine in full bloom, especially in containers. Happily, it's easy: This tropical plant doesn't require any special fertilizers; a general-purpose product works just fine. If you don't want to have to remember to fertilize, use a timed-release product, which slowly releases nutrients into the potting mix over the growing season. You just need to use it once.