The Mandeville or Dipladeniawhich we call Jasmine from Brazil, is a climbing plant native to South America, which is appreciated for its abundant flowering which flourishes on twining lianas of 2 to 3 meters. The trumpet-shaped flowers come in different colors, pink, red, white or yellow. They follow one another in profusion from the month of March until the frosts. In our latitudes, this beautiful exotic is often grown in pots to be stored during the winter, but can also be installed in the ground. Here are all the tips to follow to maintain a Dipladénia in order to enjoy its opulent flowering for as long as possible.
Entertain a Dipladénia
To keep a Dipladénia for a long time and see it bloom abundantly, it must be able to benefit from a temperature around 20°C in spring and summer and between 10 and 15°C in autumn and winter. It can therefore be grown in the ground in southern regions where winters are very mild. Elsewhere, it is better to opt for container culture.
Expose it well
Culture in a jar allows you to grow the Brazilian Jasmine on the balcony, the terrace so that it benefits from the outside air during the summer season, but you can just as well keep it on the inside where it works wonders. Wherever it is installed, the Dipladénia must be in the light, without however being exposed to the hot sun. Inside, we therefore avoid approaching it too close to a south-facing bay window or even, in winter, to a radiator.
Cut
The Dipladenia size should be light. It occurs in spring, as soon as the plant is taken out of its wintering period and when the time has come to repot it. This pruning stimulates flowering. We just remove the dried stems and those that seem the least vigorous. To fold down the stems, it is necessary to prune above the 3th or 4th node.
Subsequently, it is necessary to remove faded flowers gradually to encourage the production of new flowers.
Fertiliser
Once a month throughout the flowering period, the soil is fertilized with a fertilizer for flowering plants diluted in the irrigation water.
Pests and diseases
Dipladenia is not not a particular plant sensible. We can at most fear the attacks of scale insects that can be eradicated with a mixture of water, alcohol and black soap. Sometimes, when it is very hot and dry, the red spiders can be numerous but a few sprays of water humidify the air and are generally enough to see them disappear. In the event of a severe attack, an acaricide is then used.
Repot a Dipladénia or Mandevilla
A container-grown Dipladenia needs to be repotted approximately every two years so that it is not too cramped. The best time for repotting is early spring when the plant has not yet flowered. It is perfectly content with a soil suitable for geraniums.
Water a Dipladénia or Brazilian Jasmine
Dipladenia needsregular watering most moderate because the excess of water eventually kills its roots. To fill his high humidity requirements, the ideal is to place the pot on a bed of clay balls or pebbles on which there must always be water. This creates an ambient humidity that recalls the natural environment of this plant. Note that rainwater is preferable to tap water because it is not calcareous. However, we know that limestone tends to leave white spots on the leathery and shiny foliage of the Mandevilla.
Flowering of Dipladenia
The flowering of Brazilian Jasmine is long-lasting provided that the plant is installed in a warm, very bright and sufficiently humid environment. If a Dipladénia does not flower much, it is probably poorly exposed. It is therefore necessary to move the pot in order to choose a more suitable location. If it is grown in the ground, and the period allows it, it is wise to transplant it. But it is sometimes better to wait until next spring to make this move.
The flowers of the Dipladénia are so numerous that they can constitute a veritable colorful curtain of extreme beauty. This is why we value the climbing side of the plant by installing a trellis fortune, tutorsor we position the Mandevilla near a mur.
Easy to grow Dipladénia should not be rushed, especially when the time has come to take it out of its winter lair. He needs a acclimatization time. This is the reason why we start putting it outside for only 2 or 3 hours a day, then all afternoon, then all day, but we continue to bring it inside in the evening as long as the spring nights are still too fresh for him. Finally, when the mildness drags on, the Dipladénia can spend its days and nights outside.