Shrub · Apocynaceae
Dipladenia
Mandevilla sanderi
Give it full sun, warmth, and sharp drainage, and dipladenia pours out trumpet flowers from early summer to fall.
Full sun
Every 3–7 days
45–84°F · 7–29°C
USDA 9–11
Overview
Dipladenia is the bushy, mounding side of Mandevilla sanderi, a tropical vine out of Brazil kept for its glossy leaves and an unbroken run of trumpet-shaped flowers. As a member of the dogbane family, it keeps company with oleander and periwinkle, and like those relatives it holds a milky sap in every stem. It earns its place as a patio and container plant that keeps flowering once the warm season arrives, making it a natural anchor for a sunny terrace or balcony.
Its two names come down to trade and to habit. The plants offered as Dipladenia hold a tidy, bushy shape with a leaning toward trailing, a form that sits beautifully in pots, baskets, and window boxes, while those marketed as Mandevilla climb with more drive and reach a larger frame. Hardy only across zones 9 to 11, it stays outside the whole year in the mildest gardens and is treated as a summer annual or carried indoors over winter everywhere else.
Give it a place in the sun and it repays you generously; let it sit in damp soil and it sulks. Offer heat, light, and a fast-draining footing, and it carries its bloom straight into fall, framing a doorway or poolside corner with color. Leave the roots in soggy soil or let a cold snap reach it, and that display gives way to yellow leaves and dropped buds.
Care
The short version: full sun and steady warmth, a fast-draining mix that never leaves the roots sitting wet, a high-phosphorus bloom feed across the growing season, and gloves on hand each time you cut into the sappy stems.
Light
Dipladenia flowers at its fullest in full sun, and the more direct light reaches it, the more buds it forms. It will carry on in partial shade or bright indirect light indoors, though that rush of bloom thins quickly once strong sun is missing.
Water
Hold the soil moist but never soggy across summer, allowing the top of the pot to dry between drinks. This plant cannot abide wet feet and rots at the root if left waterlogged, so ease off the watering through winter as growth slows.
Soil
Set it in rich, sharp-draining soil, whether a sandy mix worked with humus or a peat-based potting medium. It stays relaxed about acidity and does well anywhere from pH 6.0 to 8.0, yet quick drainage counts for far more than landing on the exact figure.
Temperature
It sits comfortably between 45°F and 84°F (7°C to 29°C) and leans on steady warmth to keep its flowers coming. Nights under about 50°F (10°C) bring it to a halt, and frost finishes it off, so bring it inside ahead of the cold.
Humidity
Dipladenia favors high humidity and makes its displeasure with dry air plain by turning prone to spider mites indoors. Gather it with other plants or stand it over a pebble tray through winter to hold a moist pocket of air around it.
Feeding
Across spring and summer, feed every two weeks using a high-phosphorus bloom fertilizer such as a 10-20-10. That extra phosphorus steers the plant toward flowers over foliage, which is precisely the payoff you are after.
Pruning
Pinch the tips of new shoots to hold it bushy and compact, and trim with a light hand to shape it and lift away spent blooms. Pull on gloves for the work, as the cut stems weep an irritating milky sap.
Repotting
Step it up a pot size every 1 to 2 years in spring. Roots winding out the drainage holes, water rushing straight through, or growth and flowering that have eased off are each a sign the moment has come.
Size & spacing
12–59 in (30–150 cm) tall
When to plant
Dipladenia adores warmth and has no patience for frost. Keep it indoors or sheltered until the chill has genuinely lifted and nights hold above about 50°F (10°C), settle it outside for the season, and it carries flowers from early summer all the way through fall.
Northern hemisphere
Southern hemisphere
Typical months for a temperate climate: start earlier in warm zones, later where spring frosts linger.
- Plant: After all danger of frost has passed and nights stay above about 50 degrees F
- Harvest: Early summer through fall
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zones: 9–11
Temperature: down to -7°C
Troubleshooting
Most of what goes wrong with dipladenia turns up on the leaves, traced either to sap-feeding pests or to roots left too wet. Spot the first hints and the remedy stays straightforward. Find the picture that fits below, then step in before things spread.
A faint web and a tired, speckled cast across the leaves
When the air around a plant turns warm and dry, spider mites tend to settle in, a common scene once dipladenia comes inside for the colder months. Flip a leaf over to catch the small moving specks and threadlike webbing, or tap it against a sheet of white paper to spot them. Give the foliage a forceful rinse, follow with insecticidal soap or horticultural oil, and lift the humidity so the plant becomes an unwelcome place for them to stay.
Fix:
- Rinse foliage with a strong spray of water
- Treat with insecticidal soap or horticultural oil, repeating per label
- Raise humidity around the plant
Soft white tufts and a tacky film along the stems and joints
A look like this usually means mealybugs or scale have moved in, with whitefly or aphids occasionally along for the ride. Run an eye along the leaf joints and stems for those cottony pests, the firm motionless lumps of scale, or a drifting cloud of whiteflies that rises when you brush past. Touch up the early ones with a swab soaked in alcohol, carry on with insecticidal soap or oil, and set the plant apart from its neighbors so nothing travels.
Fix:
- Wipe off light infestations with an alcohol-dipped cotton swab
- Apply insecticidal soap or horticultural oil and repeat as needed
- Isolate affected plants to prevent spread
Yellowing, drooping foliage and buds falling away unopened
More often than not this comes down to root rot from sodden soil, or a chilly draft that has knocked the plant off balance. Ease it from its pot and press the roots: the healthy ones stay firm and pale, while the failing ones go brown and soft. Allow the surface of the soil to dry before the next watering, sort out the drainage, and settle the plant somewhere warm above about 50°F (10°C), well clear of cold drafts.
Fix:
- Let the top of the soil dry before watering again
- Improve drainage and ensure pots have drainage holes
- Move the plant to a warm spot above about 50 degrees F away from cold drafts
Tan to brown blotches that yellow before the leaf lets go
What you are seeing is anthracnose, a fungus that gains a foothold once foliage stays damp for too long. Look for the tan to brown marks that widen, turn the leaf yellow, and at last bring it down. Pluck off the spotted leaves and toss them, keep moisture off the foliage, and only turn to a labeled fungicide if the trouble keeps returning.
Fix:
- Remove and dispose of affected leaves
- Avoid overhead watering and keep foliage dry
- Apply a labeled fungicide if the problem persists
Toxicity
Handle this plant with a measure of care. Every part holds a milky latex sap that can irritate skin and eyes and unsettle the stomach if chewed, and nothing on it belongs on a plate. Slip on gloves before you prune, and keep the foliage beyond the reach of pets, livestock, and small children.
Toxic to
Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds · People
Cats Mild
Should a cat nibble the leaves, look for some drooling and a queasy stomach, now and then with vomiting. The upset stays gentle and usually settles by itself.
Dogs Mild
After a dog mouths the foliage, a touch of drooling and an unsettled stomach are likely, with an occasional bout of vomiting. The signs rarely last long.
Horses Caution
Most horses turn away from the bitter milky sap, though a single mouthful can still leave the mouth and gut irritated. For peace of mind, keep the plant well clear of the paddock.
Rabbits Caution
A rabbit should never be offered this as browse. The irritant latex can sting the mouth and trouble the gut, so it stays off the menu completely.
Livestock Caution
Goats, sheep, and cattle seldom go looking for it, but that same sap can irritate the mouth and digestion if they take a nibble. Fence it off from anything grazing.
Birds Caution
There is nothing to be gained by letting a pet bird near the leaves or sap, and the irritant latex could trouble a small bird in no time. Keep it firmly out of range.
People Caution
Nothing on this plant counts as food. The milky sap can leave skin red and irritated and sting the eyes, so reach for gloves at pruning time and steer inquisitive children away from chewing it.
Wear gloves when pruning, as cut stems release a milky latex sap that can irritate skin and eyes; wash hands afterward and keep sap away from the face.
Helpline numbers
United States
ASPCA Animal Poison Control: (888) 426-4435 (fee applies)
Poison Control: (800) 222-1222
Canada
Poison Centres: 1-844-764-7669
Varieties
Nearly all the dipladenia you find today traces back to a handful of breeding series, each chosen for compact, free-flowering plants that look at home in pots and baskets. These are the names that turn up most often on the bench.
'Rio' series
Bred for containers and baskets, this compact, bushy, free-flowering Dipladenia type carries blooms in red, pink, and white.
'Sundaville' (Sun Parasol)
A mounding-to-trailing series holding glossy leaves and trumpet flowers right through summer, with compact selections shaped for hanging baskets and window boxes.
'Madinia' series
Offered for patios and pots, this well-branched, bushy Dipladenia type is valued for large flowers set against dark glossy foliage.
How to propagate
There is room to grow more dipladenia from the plant already on hand, whether by rooting a cutting or by layering a stem while it stays attached. Each takes a little patience, and each releases the same irritating sap, so keep the gloves within reach.
Stem cuttingsModerate
Spring to summer · 4 to 8 weeks to root
Through spring or summer, take tip cuttings from shoots that are not in flower, and pull on gloves because the cut stems weep an irritating milky sap. Settle them into a moist, well-drained medium kept warm and lit with bright indirect light, and roots will appear across the following 4 to 8 weeks.
LayeringModerate
Spring to summer · Several weeks to months
During spring or summer, bend a low, supple stem down to moist soil, pin it in place, and let it root where it lies, a process running anywhere from several weeks to a few months. After the fresh roots have taken hold, sever the rooted length from the parent plant.
Myths
Dipladenia and Mandevilla are separate, unrelated plants.
Both sit in the same genus, and Dipladenia is simply an older trade name attached to the bushier forms of Mandevilla sanderi. What sets them apart is habit: the Dipladenia forms keep a bushy, mounding shape, while those kept under the Mandevilla name climb vigorously and reach a larger size. In botanical terms they are a single plant, and the genus Mandevilla covers everything once labeled Dipladenia.