How to Grow Mandevilla — Care & Where to Buy

Mandevilla turns a plain patio trellis into the tropics — glossy leaves and a nonstop parade of big red, pink, or white trumpets from planting until frost, no deadheading required. It loves the baking sun that wilts other container plants, climbing six to ten feet in a single season.

Hummingbirds find the trumpets fast. Hardy outdoors only in zones 10 and 11, it happily winters on a bright windowsill instead, ready to go out again — one plant, many summers. Keep it up out of pets' reach (the milky sap is no snack) and give your sunniest railing a show.

Where to buy mandevilla — 1 nursery compared

Full Sun to Part Shade
Moderate water
Fast growth
Attracts hummingbirds

Mandevilla — a print from the Plant Library collection

From the print shop

Growing mandevilla? Hang it.

Our Plant Library collection carries mandevilla — Mandevilla, print Nº 291, “Mandevilla.”

526 designsfrom $12.99white or black backgroundmatte poster, unframed

Shop Plant Library botanical prints →

✓

Will it thrive where you are?

Enter your ZIP — we look up your USDA hardiness zone (2023 map) and check it against what mandevilla actually needs.

Life cyclePerennial zones 10–11, annual elsewhere

Mandevilla · Common problems

Common mandevilla problems

Pests, diseases and weather to keep an eye on.

Pests

3 problems on file

Diseases

1 problem on file

Root Rot

Mandevilla · Growing & propagation

Growing mandevilla

Light, water, soil, propagation and the season’s jobs.

What it needsThe details

Light: Full Sun to Part Shade
Water: Moderate, even
Soil: Rich, well-drained · pH 6.0 - 7.0
Fertilizer: Bloom feed (high P) every 2 weeks in season
Pruning: Overwinter tip: cut back, bring in before 50°F
A patio and container superstar: a trellis in a pot smothered in tropical trumpets all summer. Pinch for fullness. Overwinter it as a houseplant in a bright window (it'll slow down) or take cuttings.
Spacing: One per trellis/pot

Mandevilla · Seasonal care & spray guidance

The mandevilla growing playbook

Field-tested instructions for every job mandevilla asks of you, compiled from university extension guidance — in the order the season brings them.

When to spray mandevilla

Growing season. Wash pests off before bringing indoors.

Timing only — the label is the law

This is when to watch and when a treatment is worth considering, not a recommendation to apply any product. Read and follow the product label before you spray — under federal law the label is the legal instruction, and using a pesticide against it is illegal.

Check the pre-harvest interval. Every product that’s cleared for an edible crop sets a minimum number of days between spraying and picking. Find it on the label before you spray anything you intend to eat.
Check the re-entry interval before you or anyone else works in the treated area again, and use the protective equipment the label names.
Confirm the product is registered for mandevilla in your state. A product legal on one crop is not legal on all of them, and state registrations differ — your state pesticide agency or local extension office can confirm both.
Rates and mixing instructions come from the label, never from us. We don’t publish them because they differ by product and formulation.

Mandevilla · Calculators & field guides

A little help in the garden.

Calculators for the figures. Field guides for the hands-on work.

Mandevilla · Yearly calendar

The mandevilla year, month by month

What mandevilla asks for, month by month.

Jan

No calendar activity is listed for this month.

MonthJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Bloom

BloomJune to August

What each band means

Bloom — flowers open — pollinators working, frost on blossoms is the danger.

These are the species' typical months — expect them a few weeks earlier in warm zones and later in cold ones. Watch the plant, not just the calendar.

Mandevilla · Ecology & uses

Ecology & uses

What it does for the garden, and what it is grown for.

Mandevilla × hybrids

Mandevilla in the garden system

Vine layer vine

Attracts: Hummingbirds
Moisture: Facultative / average
Deer: Browsed
Protect young plants

What mandevilla is grown for

! Some parts toxic — see notesToxic to pets; milky sap irritates

Use: Patio trellises
Use: Summer trumpets
Use: Containers

Edibility, identification, and traditional-use notes here are general reference — not medical or veterinary advice, and not a claim that any plant treats or prevents anything. Medicinal ratings record how strongly a plant features in herbal tradition, nothing more. Never eat or dose a plant you have not positively identified. More on how to use this library.

Mandevilla · Varieties & cultivars

Choosing a mandevilla variety

Match the plant to your climate, season and available space.

'Alice du Pont' (classic pink); 'Sun Parasol' series; Dipladenia types (bushier, for pots)

Sources & plant identity

Know what you’re growing.
See where the knowledge comes from.

The plant, at a glance.

Botanical name: Mandevilla × hybrids
Plant family: Apocynaceae
Growth habit: Vine · Tender Perennial
USDA plant symbol: MANDE
Invasive risk: Low

Every garden is different.

Hardiness, size and timing vary with your cultivar, soil and climate.

Rooted in research.

University extension research, brought together with hands-on growing experience at Story Thyme Farms.

Explore Mandevilla’s sources2 reference links
for Mandevilla

Research from these sources

Clemson University

NC State Extension

Publisher marks identify sources, not sponsorship or endorsement.

Questions

Mandevilla questions, answered straight.

Is mandevilla safe for kids and pets?

With care. Toxic to pets; milky sap irritates Site it accordingly if children or pets roam the garden. This is general reference, not medical or veterinary advice — call a vet or poison control if something has actually been eaten.

Elsewhere

Where mandevilla sits in the library.

Where mandevilla sits in the library

Houseplants59 Flowering vines17 All collections

Grows in the same world

Sweet Pea

Morning Glory Botanical illustration of Clematis

Clematis

Wisteria