Give your garden a colorful facelift with mandevilla. This gorgeous plant blooms nonstop and is super easy to care for. Here are 5 reasons we love this amazing tropical flower.
1. It's Versatile
Because mandevilla comes in both climbing and mound-shaped forms you can use it in an almost unlimited number of ways, including hanging baskets, window boxes, mixed containers, or planted directly in garden beds and borders.
2. The Plants Are Always Blooming
Multitudes of large, trumpet-like flowers cover mandevilla
from spring to fall. Flower colors include pink, red, white, peach, and apricot. The showy blossoms are also
attractive to hungry hummingbirds (and butterflies!).
3. Mandevilla Is Easy to Grow
There's no secret to growing mandevilla. All you need to do is
plant them in a sunny spot that receives at least 6 to 8 hours of sun a day. They aren't too fussy about soil type,
but they do best in a rich, organic medium.
4. Vining Types Don't Get out of Control
Unlike some vines, mandevilla won't grow wildly
and swallow your house. Instead, these vigorous, but well-mannered vines can reach 8 feet tall, but are easily
trained on an arbor, fence, or trellis.
5. They Bring the Tropics North
Although mandevilla is a tropical native, it thrives in
northern regions where summers are hot and steamy. The plants will die after the first frost. But if grown in
containers, they can be moved indoors in the fall and kept as a houseplant until the following spring. (Get winter care tips here.)Shopping for mandevilla? Check out our Shopper's Guide for Mandevilla.
Written by Doug Jimerson