Dipladenia, marvelous blooming vine for hanging suspensions

Dipladenia is a richly-blooming hanging vine.

Main Dipladenia facts

Common Name – Dipladenia
Latin name – Mandevilla sanderii
(for most of the colorful blooms)
Latin name – Mandevilla boliviensis
(for most of the white varieties)
Family – Apocynceae

Type – shrub, hanging vine
Length – 10 feet (3 meters)
Exposure – well-lit

Soil – well-drained
Foliage – evergreen
Flowering – June to October

Caring for this plant, from planting to pruning and including watering, will give you magnificent flowers in summer. Follow our advice and your Dipladenia will bloom magnificently!

• Read also: caring for Mandevilla

How to plant a Dipladenia

Dipladenia usually is an indoor plant in temperate climates. However, it’s possible to grow it outdoors as an annual in places where the weather is too cold.

Growing Dipladenia indoors in a pot

If potted, it is advised to repot every 1 or 2 years, preferably in spring.

The container that was provided upon purchase is often too small to last more than a season. Repot your dipladenia as soon as the blooming is over.

• Best place your indoor dipladenia near light, but not in direct sunlight.
• Avoid placing this potted plant in excessively hot sunlight when on a terrace or balcony.

• Refer to our advice on how to re-pot your dipladenia

Growing Dipladenia outdoors

South America is where Dipladenia originated. It therefore requires temperatures of at least 68°F (around 20°C) to thrive.

When growing directly in the ground, temperatures must be high in both summer and winter. Planting is done in spring.

• Direct sunlight is fine when Dipladenia is planted directly in the ground.
• Dipladenia will die outdoors if temperatures drop under 50°F (10°C) for extended periods of time.

Pruning Dipladenia

To boost flower-bearing, remove dipladenia wilted flowers often (deadheading).

• It is best to prune lightly at the very beginning of spring to spur blooming.
• It’s a good practice to repot and prune at the same time to only let the plant suffer transplant shock once.

Dipladenia propagation

This plant is best reproduced through cuttings. Another option, layering, also works well, though it’s usually more work.

Watering Dipladenia

How to water dipladenia

Dipladenia prefers it on the dry side than on the wet side for its roots. However, when potted, it’s important to not let the soil get too dry or the plant will feel water stress.

• water once a week
• soil should feel dry when you stick a finger in it down to an inch (2½ cm) before watering

If you’ve repotted your dipladenia recently,

•  water a small amount every 5 days (or three times in a fortnight)
• pour the water near the rim, where the fresh soil is
• do this for about a month. This will encourage root growth in the new soil.
• small amounts of water regularly reduce transplant shock without risking overwatering

In normal conditions, a potted dipladenia should cope with only being watered once a week. But pay attention to signs that may show it needs more water:

• wilting leaves, leafage sagging down a bit
• new growth is stunted, stops or turns dry
• lower leaves drop or turn brown

If you notice any of these symptoms and that the soil is often dry, best increase watering frequency. In extreme cases like temperatures over 100°F (35°C) with very little air moisture, you may even need to water a potted dipladenia daily. Perhaps increase the amount of water, too.

• Do the opposite if symptoms are similar but the soil is consistently moist: you might be overwatering your plant.

Watering dipladenia in the ground

• In the summer or in hot weather, water weekly and abundantly, provided the soil drains properly.
• Soil should be dry down to 1 to 2 inches (2 to 5 cm) before watering again.
• Don’t get the leaves wet or downy mildew may appear (or water early morning so leaves can dry).

In winter or during the dormant season, water less, only once a fortnight, with only very little water. Usually rain covers the plant’s needs so you probably won’t need to water at all.

• Learn about all the ways to increase air moisture for plants

Growing and caring for potted Dipladenia

Indoors, select a very well-lit space for your dipladenia, but not in direct sunlight behind a window.

• Avoid heat sources such as radiators.
• Protect the plant from direct sunlight during the hotter hours if placed behind a window.

Finally, bring your dipladenia outdoors from May to October to give it fresh air.

When potted, dipladenia requires a lot of moisture. A good trick is to place it on a bed of constantly moist gravel or clay pebbles, since this recreates the moisture found in its its natural tropical environment.

Dipladenia after blooming

The usual blooming season for Dipladenia is March to November.

After blooming, its is best to winterize your plant: place it in a cooler but well-lit room.

• Ideal temperatures are around 68 to 70° F (20 to 21° C) in summer, and 50 to 60°F (10 to 15°C) in winter.

Learn more about Dipladenia

Native to the tropical Americas, Dipladenia is a sub-species of the Mandevilla vine. It’s part of the same family as oleander and it blooms in abundance over many months with beautiful flowers.

Dipladenia grows best as a ground-seeking hanging vine, although it’s perfectly possible to train it up along a lattice like its cousin, the mandevilla vine. When left untethered, flowers will cascade down from hanging suspensions or balcony railings and produce a marvelous effect.

Because of its tropical origin, greenhouses with high moisture levels are the perfect growing environment. If you wish to grow dipladenia in apartments or indoors, mist leaves often with soft water. You would make your plant happiest if you tried various techniques to increase indoor humidity.

• Dipladenia is mildly toxic when ingested and is irritating to skin when touched, so wear gloves or wash your hands after handling it.

Pests and diseases related to Dipladenia

Dipladenia leaves turn yellow

Dipladenia leaves most often turn yellow when they were exposed to the cold or to lack of water.

• Protect your dipladenia from drafts, especially in winter, and regularly spray water on their leaves.

Sticky white spots appear on dipladenia leaves

If a cottony white substance starts covering leaves, a scale insect colony has appeared.

• Follow our advice on how to treat scale insects

Tiny spiders crawling all over the dipladenia

Dipladenia can also be colonized by mites and ticks such as red spider mites.

• Here is how to fight red spider mite

Striking dipladenia varieties

Dipladenia varieties that stand out bear fabulous flowers.

Some are more suited to growing in garden boxes since they tend to stay upright and bushy. The Dipladenia Rio is one of these. It will form a mound that can reach about two feet across in ideal circumstances! It is available in many shades: velvet red, deep red, pink, white…

Others are excellent viners, like the Madinia Maximo series: they’ll be great in hanging suspensions or in the ground near a lattice. The “Opal” series (opal yellow…) is closer to Mandevilla types than to Dipladenia, but it’s sometimes sold as such. It has rare colors: yellow, salmon orange…