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How To Grow Mandevilla Vines: The Complete Guide

Mandevilla Vines
Photo Credit
Emily Walls
Botanical Name
Mandevilla spp.
Plant Type
Vine
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Soil pH
Slightly Acidic to Neutral
Bloom Time
Summer
Flower Color
Varies
Hardiness Zone
9
10
11

Planting, Growing, and Caring for Mandevillas

Andy Wilcox
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With huge tropical-looking flowers and evergreen glossy foliage, flowering mandevilla vines are perfect for a trellis, arbor, or post. While the plants are only cold-hardy in zones 9 and warmer, these brightly-hued blooms are enjoyed as annuals in the rest of North America.

Today, mandevilla comes in two types: climbing and mounding. 

  1. Climbing mandevilla is a traditional tropical vine with long tendrils that wrap around a column to create bright colors around any vertical feature.
  2. Mounding mandevilla is perfect for large containers on your deck or patio or bringing splashy color to garden beds. They have all the beautiful colors and tropical vibes but are semi-upright.

These bright beauties will provide colorful blooms from summer until frost. You can also bring them indoors for the winter if you wish.

They are easy to care for and need little maintenance. As long as you give them what they need (as described in this guide), they provide big results with little effort.

Brilliant red mandevilla climbing up an obelisk surrounded By lavender and red petunias. Credit: Molly Shannon
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Planting

Most mandevillas are grown as annuals in pots. Select a location with full sun, protection from the wind, and, for climbing types, something nearby to swarm up. Good drainage is necessary. If planting mandevillas in the garden, soil pH should be slightly acidic to neutral. 

When to Plant Mandevilla

Mandevilla is a tropical plant that hates cold weather. Wait until temperatures are in the 60s or warmer overnight before setting it outside. 

Mounding mandavilla in pots. Credit: Kabar

How to Plant Mandevilla

Mandevilla plants are normally grown in containers except in the far South, and many of us won’t bother moving them from the pot we bought them in at the nursery. 

If you transplant them, either to another pot or into a garden bed, treat them like any other large plant.

  1. Water thoroughly a few hours before transplanting.
  2. Gently rock or squish the sides of the container to help the roots release.
  3. Cut any circling or girdling roots, and score the sides of rootbound plants to aid growth.
  4. Use fresh, well-draining potting mix, or prepare the garden bed with some finished compost worked in.
  5. Transplant the mandevilla, keeping the depth at the same level on the plant as in the old container. Firm up the soil and water again. 

Don’t forget the stakes or trellis if that is what it will climb. Putting them in at planting time is much easier for you and the plant than waiting until it has sprawled all over and is asking for help. 

Growing

Mandevilla, especially the long vining types, are excellent climbers, but you can still help it find the trellis or arbor. Use biodegradable twine and tie a loose loop around the support and the vine, then gently twist the vine around the support structure. Tie a loop with some extra space, and you won’t have to remove it later. 

Mandevilla enjoys moist soil, but allow the top inch or two to dry out between waterings. Too much water can provide ideal conditions for root rot, even in tropical plants.

A general-purpose or bloom-booster slow-release fertilizer applied in early summer will meet any feeding needs for the season. 

Overwintering Mandevilla

Mandevillas can be expensive, and buying new ones every year adds significantly to the cost of the spring garden center run. Fortunately, with some care, you can overwinter these beauties and enjoy them again next year.
Mandevillas have a natural dormant period from late fall into April. They’ll stop growing and may even drop their leaves, but don’t panic.

You’ll want to give your mandevilla a pretty drastic haircut before bringing it inside for the winter. Trim it back to about 12 inches from the base. It will look like savagery, but the alternative is cleaning up all that mess inside your house when it gets dropped anyway.

Once you’ve trimmed it back with your clippers, bring it inside and store it in a basement, garage, or other cool location. You’ll need a location that doesn’t dip below about 45F. If you don’t have one, you can store it in an out-of-the-way location in the house, but the cooler, the better. 

In mid-spring, bring your mandevilla out of storage and place it in a warm location with bright light. A sunny south-facing window will be fine. Check the soil moisture and add water if dry, but don’t go overboard. The plant takes a while to “wake up” and won’t use much water until it does.

Set your mandevilla back outside when all danger of frost has passed, and nighttime temps are warming up. Wait to fertilize until you see growth starting again. 

Types

  • ‘Sun Parasol Giant Peach Sunrise’ is a rare peach-colored mandevilla with massive 5” blooms and vigorous vining stems that can reach ten feet long. 
  • ‘Pink Parfait’ (Mandevilla x amabilis) sports vivid pink double flowers on vines that can reach 20 feet. If you’ve got a large arbor to cover, this is the one.
  • ‘Bombshell Coral Pink’ is a hybrid with more restrained vining that is perfect for patio pots or baskets. Fantastic pink blooms contrast perfectly with the deep green foliage.
  • ‘Tropical Breeze Velvet Red’ is a mounding mandevilla perfect for overflowing large pots. Its deep scarlet-colored blooms are perfectly tropical.
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Wit and Wisdom

  • Mandevilla and Dipladenia are often confused, and they look very similar. The gist is that mandevillas are upright climbers, and dipladenias are trailers–they grow down and are more suited to hanging baskets.
  • When pruning mandevilla, wear gloves. The milky sap is a bit sticky.
  • Tall mandevillas can act like sails in heavy wind. If your mandevilla is portable, such as in a container, move it to a more sheltered position before high winds or storms.

Pests/Diseases

  • Aphids
  • Scale insects
  • Mealybugs
     
Vines
About The Author

Andy Wilcox

Andy Wilcox is a flower farmer and master gardener with a passion for soil health, small producers, forestry, and horticulture. Read More from Andy Wilcox
 

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Comments

MB (not verified)

1 week 3 days ago

Overwintering the mandevilla: so I brought mine in for the winter, but probably didn’t cut it back enough, and it’s in a bright, sunny location-although fairly cool (~60F). It’s still growing-should I keep trimming back the stems? And should I still cut it way back in the spring?
Next winter, when I bring it in, I will put in a less sunny and cooler location, but will I still need to water over the winter?
Thanks!

Hi, MB, If your mandevilla is still growing over winter, I wouldn’t trim it unless it gets too large or unwieldy for the space. I recommend pruning for shape in spring and removing any dead or lackluster stems. Like many plants, pruning will produce a bushier form with dense stems and foliage.

All plants brought indoors need to be watered over winter, but the frequency is far less than when they were active and growing outdoors. Plants brought inside are often accidentally forgotten about. If the soil dries to the point that no water is available to the plant, the plants can die just as they would at other times. Check with your finger and feel the soil moisture as deeply as possible. If it feels slightly moist or damp, the plant is fine. If the soil feels dry, give it a good watering. In spring, as the plant picks up growth, you can increase the watering frequency and begin fertilizing again. 
 

Florence Chmiel (not verified)

3 months ago

Why are the leaves on my mandevilla turning yellow and dropping off?

Hi Florence,

Given the time of year, it is natural for mandevillas to drop their leaves due to the seasonal changes (lower temperatures and light levels). This is the time of year when they will enter their dormant stage. 

If you are growing it outdoors in a container, it is likely time to bring it inside, especially if you live in a location where temperatures have dropped below 60°F at night. For the best way to bring it inside, check out the Overwintering section above.

If you are currently growing it indoors, the loss of leaves could be due to not enough light so make sure it is receiving the proper amount. Yellowing leaves can be a sign of overwatering or underwatering. Check an inch or two below the growing medium surface to see where the moisture level is. It also could just be your plants sign that it is time to rest for the winter.

Hope this helps!