Unknown Plant is Mandevilla
I have this plant but I do not know what it is or how to take care of it. Can you lead me in the right direction?
Hi Brad,
It looks like a type of Mandevilla (formerly Dipladenea) perhaps the sanderi variety. They are usually found outdoors where they bloom from spring to autumn. These hardy and heat loving plants are perfect to train on a trellis.
Light: They need very bright light when grown indoors. Moving your mandevilla outdoors for the summer helps it bloom more. Bring it back inside before the temperature drops to 55°F/13°C at night.
Repot in spring. Mandevilla grow well in large pots with good drainage holes. Move it up 1 pot size every spring as the roots fill the pot.
Prune it back. Unless you want a huge plant in your home, prune aggressively in late fall. Sine Mandevilla get flowers at the tips of new branches, it will bloom better. Remove dead flowers as soon as they appear.
The plant is dormant in the winter, so reduce your water by 1/2.