Elevate
color in your landscape this summer by growing a Mandevilla vine up a trellis,
pergola, arbor, or even over a mailbox.
While
other plants melt in Florida's hot summers, Mandevilla
(Mandevilla spp.) is a tropical vine that almost seems to smile at the
heat, putting out colorful trumpet-shaped blooms along its woody, twining
stems.
One of the
most recognized varieties is 'Alice Dupont', which produces medium pink flowers
up to four inches wide and two inches long. Other varieties are available that
produce flowers in red or various shades of pink. The
white-blooming Mandevilla boliviensis is a favorite of many
gardeners. A few yellow flowering vines are often called yellow mandevilla,
though they're technically different plants (Urichtes
lutea or Pentilinon luteum).
The stems of
larger varieties like 'Red Velvet' can reach up to twenty feet long in a single
season and are great for growing up trellises and arbors. The more compact
cultivars like Sun Parasol® 'Burgundy' are well suited for growing over a
mailbox. They're also stunning in hanging baskets or containers as their stems
creep over the edges.
