Dipladenia, also known as mandevilla, is a gorgeous tropical flowering vine that adds a pop of bright color to gardens, patios, and porches during the warm summer months. But is it an annual or a perennial? The answer depends on where you live and how you grow it.
A Tender Tropical Plant
Native to tropical regions of South America dipladenia is not cold-hardy. It thrives in warm humid climates and does not tolerate freezing temperatures. This makes dipladenia’s growth habit dependent on your USDA hardiness zone and how you cultivate it.
In zones 10 and 11, where winters stay above 40°F, dipladenia can be grown as a perennial vine. It will die back to the ground after frost but regrow from the roots each spring. However, in colder zones, it must be treated as an annual and replaced each year.
Bushy Growth Habit
Dipladenia are bushy vines that can reach 1-2 feet tall and spread 2 feet wide when grown as container plants or in the landscape. The glossy, deep green leaves are oppositely arranged on vining stems that twine and climb trellises or other structures.
From spring to fall, large trumpet-shaped flowers bloom continuously in shades of red, pink, or white. These highly ornamental blossoms attract hummingbirds and butterflies to the garden.
Growing as an Annual
For most regions of the United States, dipladenia should be cultivated as an annual plant. This means planting new starts each year either from seed or transplants purchased at a nursery.
Start seeds indoors 8-12 weeks before the last expected frost date. Provide bright light, warmth, and high humidity to help them germinate. Gradually acclimate young plants to outdoor conditions before transplanting after danger of frost has passed.
Choose a site with full sun and fertile, well-drained soil. Amend with compost or organic matter to support vigorous growth. Provide a sturdy trellis, arbor, or fence for the vines to climb. Pinch back tips to encourage bushy, branching growth.
Overwintering Indoors
In cooler climates, you can dig up dipladenia roots in fall and overwinter the plants as houseplants. This allows you to save special varieties from season to season.
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Cut stems back to 6-8 inches when bringing inside.
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Repot in a container slightly larger than the root ball using indoor potting mix.
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Place in a sunny window and reduce watering for the dormant period.
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Resume normal watering in early spring when new growth appears.
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Acclimate the plant gradually before moving it outside after the danger of frost has passed.
Growing as a Perennial
For gardeners in USDA zones 10-11, dipladenia can thrive year-round as a permanent landscape plant. Establish in a sheltered, frost-free location with sun and rich soil. Mulch the roots to conserve moisture and insulate against cold spells. Prune lightly after flowering to encourage new growth.
In the warmest zones, dipladenia may only lose some of its leaves in winter. Further north, it may die back completely and reshoot in spring. Prune any dead stems as needed to keep it tidy.
Beautiful Blooms All Season
No matter how you choose to grow it, dipladenia delivers months of vivid color and tropical appeal. With the right climate and care, you can enjoy this heat-loving vine as an annual that returns each summer or a perennial that flowers year after year.
The versatility of dipladenia gives home gardeners many options for incorporating its vibrant beauty into their landscapes. Whether grown in pots or planted in flowerbeds, dipladenia is sure to be a showstopper!
Mandevilla and Dipladenia: Although similar flowers, one is vine, other is shrub
You may have heard of both Mandevilla and Dipladenia if you like flowers that look like trumpets. You may even have them in your garden. If you do, you probably realize they are very different, even if their blooms are a lot alike.
Dipladenia and Mandevilla are both great choices for Mississippi landscapes. Of the two, you can be sure that the summer flowers will be beautiful, but I think the Mandevilla flowers better.
People may sell these two plants as the same thing because their blooms look alike, but Mandevilla and Dipladenia grow in different ways. Mandevilla is vining, and Dipladenia is more shrub-like.
Both are great plants, but it’s a problem when gardeners buy the wrong one because it’s being sold as the other. It’s not good if you get a shrub instead of a vine at the garden center, so be careful when picking out one of these plants.
It’s been my experience that plants listed as Mandevilla often do not climb. I have fallen for this mistake in the past. There’s been some breeding work done with Mandevilla and Dipladenia, and there are hybrids found at garden centers. This may contribute to the problem.
Dipladenia, which rhymes with gardenia, has a shrub-like growing habit and does not climb. It works great as a filler in a combination basket or container because it doesn’t need any support.
I like Dipladenia better than Mandevilla because it has pretty flowers and you don’t have to worry about giving it something to climb. The flowers and foliage of Dipladenia are smaller than Mandevilla, but I feel this enhances their landscape value.
Keep consistent container moisture, but make sure it is well drained. Feed your Dipladenias every couple of weeks with a water-soluble fertilizer.
Sunlight encourages Dipladenia to bloom, and the plants need at least 6 hours of direct sun each day. In very hot locations, partial shade helps prevent the leaves from getting scorched.
Mandevilla is a climber that wraps its growing stems around any support it can find. Make your own supports out of hardware cloth, plastic mesh, or other things that will give the plants something to climb on. These structures can be as simple or elaborate as you like.
These climbing vines grow and flower best when planted in full sun. They tolerate partial shade in hot locations, such as south-facing walls. To make sure the soil drains well, make sure the planting bed soil is full of organic matter. However, don’t let the soil dry out too much.
Mandevilla is very tolerant to pruning, and you can train the plant to grow in a shrub-like form. Flowers are produced on new growth, so there is little worry about pruning too much and eliminating blooms.
Mandevillas begin to flower in early summer and don’t quit until frost in the fall. They are tender plants usually killed by fall frosts. On occasion, they may grow back from the root system the following spring. Most gardeners simply treat Mandevilla as a flowering annual.
If you enjoy trumpet-shaped flowers, one of these plants will likely be a good addition to your landscape.
Mandevilla & Dipladenia Care || Outdoor & Indoor Care of Mandevilla & What’s The Difference?
FAQ
Do Dipladenia come back every year?
Can Dipladenia be kept over winter?
Can I plant Dipladenia in the ground?
Do Dipladenias like sun or shade?
What is a Dipladenia plant?
Dipladenias are popular spring plants that add a splash of color to outdoor spaces. These tropical plants display lush foliage and trumpet-shaped flowers. They grow in a variety of settings, from hanging baskets, and climbing up a trellis to garden beds. For your Dipladenia plant to thrive, knowing how to care for it is important.
Is Rio Dipladenia a perennial?
Rio Dipladenia is basically perennials that remain evergreen throughout the year in frost-free weather in the USDA regions 9 through 11. However, Rio Dipladenia now can be grown in colder regions like an annual plant in gardens or pots but the plants need to be shifted to safe places during winter.
Does Dipladenia flower all year?
The bright, colorful appearance and attractive growth habit make the Dipladenia flowering plants an ideal choice for your garden or as a houseplant. Due to its tropical plant nature, it can flower for most of the year, even in cooler areas. But it will have a shorter flowering period in such temperatures.
Is Dipladenia a fast growing plant?
Dipladenia is not a fast-growing plant but the time and effort spent into getting the plant to grow is well worth it. As another means of telling the difference between dipladenia and mandevilla, avid gardeners will note that the latter, with its long, winding vines, grows much faster.