Mandevilla & Dipladenia

Owner: Holly Dz
Jul 8
4 min read

Corresponding Blog for Podcast Episode #115

Mandevillas and Dipladenias are among the most iconic tropical flowering plants during the summer. Whether you're looking for a 6-inch plant for your patio planter, a hanging basket for your home, or a large vine to make a statement, these plants are available in every form you might need. With the increasing hybridization, the variety of colors is becoming endless!

Botanical Name: Mandevilla/Dipladenia

Common Name: Mandevilla, Dipladenia, Rocktrumpet

Most available plants are hybrids from multiple Mandevillas or Dipladenias. Here are some well known brands and varieties:

SunParasol: Pink, red, white, yellow, purple, etc (Mandevilla & Dipladenia)
Sundenia: Pink, red, white (Dipladenia)
Sundaville: Pink, red, white, sometimes a combo of colors, and some with double flowers (Mandevilla & Dipladenia)
Rio: Pink, white, red (Dipladenia)
Diamantina: yellow, orange (Dipladenia)

Difference from Mandevilla vs Dipladenia

Dipladenia is classified under the Mandevilla genus as of the mid 19th century. The two plant names are sometimes used interchangeably but they are slightly different in their esthetic.

Dipladenia grow in a more shrub-like form whereas Mandevilla are vining
Dipladenia (the shrub-like form) tends to stay around 18 inches tall while Mandevilla will vine as high or wide as you let them!
Dipladenia's leaves are a little bit smaller, thicker and shiny. While Mandevilla's leaves are larger and thinner.
Mandevilla's flowers are usually larger than Dipladenia's but with the many hybrids constantly getting formed, this isn't always the case.
Dipladenia tend to be a bit more resilient

Sun Requirements

These plants thrive in bright light. Most online resources and books suggest they shouldn't be in direct light, but in my experience, the more light, the better. If you are growing these indoors, placing them in a south or west-facing window is ideal. If that's not possible, using grow lights might be necessary to ensure they receive adequate light.

If you need any guidance to understanding light, or are in need of a grow light to help increase your light, check out the links!

Water Requirement

Providing enough water is another key to this success puzzle. Mandevilla & Dipladenias need medium moisture to thrive. Allow the top layer of soil to dry out between waterings. During winter, it's also best to reduce watering.

Extra humidity is very helpful for the plant to thrive. Since the plant can get fairly large, the best ways to increase humidity are by placing a humidifier near by, misting the leaves with a spray bottle, placing a tray of water and pebbles below the plant (you can use a larger saucer for this). Spraying the leaves and allowing high moisture on the foliage, it a great way to help prevent pests as well.

Fertilizer

You want strong, healthy foliage while the plant isn't blooming but you also want to encourage flowers during their peak blooming season. If you don't want to use different fertilizers, using a balanced fertilizer Here are what a couple of reliable resources recommend:

According to the Practical Houseplant Book: "Apply a balanced liquid fertilizer once a month in spring and switch to a high potassium fertilizer in summer."
According to Bachman's: "Very susceptible to fertilizer burn, so it is recommended to repot in new soil if adding fertilizer. Needs to be regularly fed during the growing season to produce an abundance of flowers. Mixes high in phosphorus are best but any general fertilizer will suffice. During times of heavy growth and flowering, fertilize every week to two weeks with liquid fertilizer. Then slowly, weening off in mid-late summer until mid-late fall. Granular/slow-release fertilizer is also an option. Unless the label states otherwise, apply just prior to spring and re-apply every three months until fall."

As I always say, fertilizer is up to you and your preferences. Overfertilizing is really the only truly "wrong" thing you can do with fertilizing. I also strongly believe it is a tool to help your plant or potentially solve a problem with your plant but that is highly dependent on the situation and environment. There are LOTS of different brands and products to fertilize plants with dependent on your needs and budget.

I currently use Fox Farm's Grow Big Liquid Fertilizer or Fox Farm's Big Bloom Liquid Fertilizer or flowering plants. I fertilize about every 2 weeks when I water my plants, starting around the end of February through October. I only fertilize once or twice in winter because the plant isn't as active!

If you need help understanding fertilizer a bit more, check out Podcast Episode 103 or the Fertilizer Explains blog post.

Potential Problems

Spider Mites: if you see very small webbing and tiny black round bugs you have spider mites. Check out episode 33 or the blog post to learn how to treat them.
Mealybugs: if you see cotton-looking bumps in with the stems and leaves you have mealybugs. Check out episode 33 or the blog post to learn how to treat them.
Aphids: if you see tiny yellowish, white insect that congregate on the new, tender leaves or flower buds. Check out episode 33 or the blog post to learn how to treat them.

Other Facts

All part of the Apocynaceae Family along with Milkweed, Oleander, Hoya, Desert Rose
They are native to tropical and subtropical parts of Central and South America
- Hardiness zone about 9-11
Since Mandevillas are vining plants, it is best to provide a trellis or structure for them to wrap their stems up and climb.
These take to pruning very well so don't be afraid to trim them back if needed
These plants are not too picky with soil so using your commonly used, well draining soil mixture is great!
These are toxic poisonous to pets. If you are interested in learning about more pet friendly plants, check out Podcast Ep#31 for more info or the corresponding blog post!

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Always written with extreme plant passion!

Love, Holly (Owner & Creator of Houseplant Homebody LLC)