Are you looking for a flowering red vine that gives you a mini-vacation every time you gaze upon it? The Red Mandevilla is a beautiful tropical plant that is absolutely mesmerizing. It is a woody vine that seems to laugh at the heat, putting out beautiful, red trumpet-shaped blooms all along its woody, twining stem.

The Red Mandevilla grows well in hot climates and is known well for its vining abilities. Many people adorn their telephone poles and mailboxes with the showy trumpet-shaped flowers.

Although this beauty thrives in the hot sun, it also serves as a great house plant. They are relatively easy to keep and can be kept in a pot to allow movement indoors when the weather gets cool. The ruby-red blossoms can be recognized by their beautiful trumpet shape. With oval-shaped, evergreen leaves and blooms about 4 inches across, the Mandevilla will demand the attention of onlookers.

Mandevilla can be grown outdoors in the ground in zones 9 to 11. In zone 9 they usually go dormant or semi-dormant in winter where in the most tropical growing zones they tend to be evergreen. For cooler zones mandevilla can be grown as an annual or in a pot to be moved inside in winter.

Overwintering Mandevilla

When temperatures are getting close to 50 degrees F it is time to move your mandevilla plant inside.

Whether your plant is dormant or semi-dormant you still want to water it, but not as often as during the growing season. Allow the plant to dry out completely before watering it. 

*Do not fertilize in winter. Even in climates where mandevillas are evergreen year-round they still do through a semi-dormant resting period in winter where they don’t flower and grow slower. So give your plant some much needed rest so it can explode with growth in spring.

Growing Mandevilla as a Houseplant

A mandevilla can thrive as a houseplant, but you will need a nice sunny spot, preferably a south facing window, in order to get flowers indoors. If you don’t have a bright spot you can purchase a basic plant light.

Make sure your container has good drainage and isn’t much larger than the pot it came in. 

Water your plant when the soil becomes dry to the touch. (Checking down 1 or 2 inches into the soil with your finger is ideal.)

Feed twice yearly with a slow release fertilizer preferably in early spring and mid to late summer.

Pinch back or trim new shoots to encourage a bushier shape for your indoor mandevilla.

Move your mandevilla into a slightly larger pot when the roots start to fill the pot. Signs of this are roots growing out of the drainage holes or to the soil surface and an inability to hold water as the roots takeover the soil.

Planting

Mandevilla vines thrive in hot, sunny climates. Plant them in full sun for the most abundant blooms.

They are adaptable to any well-drained soil. Allow the soil to dry out between waterings. Mandevilla vines likely a lightly moist soil, but do not tolerate wet soil.

Watering

Whether your plant is dormant or semi-dormant you still want to water it, but not as often as during the growing season. Allow the plant to dry out completely before watering it.

Fertilizing

Feed your mandevilla with a slow release fertilizer in spring.

Maintenance

Cut your plant back by at least ⅓. If you have a very large plant go ahead and prune it back even more. These plants tolerate heavy pruning.

Prune your plant back anytime to control growth and promote a bushier habit.

Be sure your plant is free of pests. Some safe and easy options if you aren’t sure are neem oil and insecticidal soaps.

Mandevillas are used as a flowering vine around fences and trellises and over mailboxes.  This pretty vine is used as an annual in climates other than very warm climates like growing zone 10 and 11. However, you can grow in a container and move inside in winter to enjoy year after year.

Combine with Pink and White Mandevilla Vines for different colors.

For additional options, be sure to browse our Mandevilla Vine collection.

*This annual is not eligible for our year warranty.