My friend was going to throw away this beautiful vine. She insists it is a tropical clematis and it wouldn't keep over winter. I have a hunch it is not and asked to have it. Now I need to now what it is :)
I believe it is a trumpet vine but am checking with this forum first, on the "not too unlikely" prospect I am wrong.
Try posting the photo here and you'll get it identified fast:
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/f/plantid/all/
Looks like a mandevilla to me. If it is, it is tropical.
Mandevilla. It's not hardy for you. I keep mine overwinter in the house with good results. They stay nice and green and even have some flowers, and are ready to go in the spring.
http://www.google.com/images?q=white+mandevilla&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&ei=5b_ETOyfA8aqlAfIgZ0H&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=1&ved=0CCkQsAQwAA&biw=1272&bih=602
Do you cut yours back when you bring it in Hannibal? I brought mine in and it is looking a little bleek, I was wondering if I should have cut it back.
Marie - I know you didn't ask me but I do cut mine back to about 18" but still the leaves go yellow so expect that to happen. It will be fine if you keep it lightly watered all winter and will quickly grow once you put it outside in May or June.
Thanks Pirl. I have been watering it but the leaves are looking dry around the bottom half. I will cut it back today and hope for the best.
Hi Marie,
Yes, I cut them back when I bring them in, and end up cutting them back several times over the winter. I cut mine back to about 10-12 inches. I lose a few leaves, no yellowing, but there is a lot of light in the bathroom where I keep them. Mine flowers off and on during the winter. I keep mine watered and fertilized, but if it were not in so much light, I would not.
I think you can either keep it inside as you would a houseplant and try to give it light, and keep it green and flowering, or you can treat it as an outdoor plant you're just overwintering and let it stay semi dry, and it will go into semi dormancy.
When you say it looks a little bleak, how do you mean?How much light do you have for it?
Marie - found this on Google:
Q. My Mandavilla’s vine is growing well, but the mature leaves on the plant are browning and dying from the leave’s vein outward to the leave’s edges. I wouldn’t call it “yellowing” as I’ve seen in over-watering of other plants, but a dry, dying brown leaf. Is this not enough water? The plant is planted in the ground in a good sunny spot. I don’t want to lose my new Mandevilla - it’s beautiful!
A. The mature leaves that are browning can be going through an aging process and dying back. As long as the exterior new foliage is growing, I don’t think there is anything to worry about.
It is in my laundry room that is cooler than the rest of the house. It is in front of the door so it gets light. I have given it water thinking that it had gotten to dry.My Tropical Hibiscus is next to it and it is doing great. But the Mandevilla leaves were dried out and falling off. I cut it back today, so I will see if that helps
Please keep us posted how it does. They are definitely worth keeping year after year if you can.
If it tends to get dry, you might want to check the rootball. Sometimes those things get pretty root bound. I had to loosen one of mine up when I brought it in, and soak it in a pail of water to get it rehydrated. But that one is a very old one, and probably should be up potted. From the looks of the roots, I think they ate all the dirt off, LOL.
I'm sure they do somehow eat all the dirt. I've heard on radio that they love being rootbound and, therefore, didn't re-pot mine until they burst their pots. Then I gave them compost and manure and they took revenge by not blooming much that summer but since then they've done fine.
Mine are 18 years old and I'd miss them terribly if they were to die.
Good luck, Marie.
18 years Old?... Wow.
Better Homes and Gardens recommends to repot it in the spring if it's rootbound. I guess you can get 20 different answers to the same questions all over the internet.
http://www.bhg.com/advice/gardening/vines/what-do-i-need-to-do-to-take-care-of-my-mandevilla/
I repot mine to keep them from getting rootbound. Pirl lets hers get rootbound. I guess both ways work.
It was the late and highly respected Ralph Snodsmith, on radio, who said it...but times change and whatever works best for you is the right answer.
I bought three originally, in May of '92,. but when I re potted I lost one.
I do wonder where that soil goes!
Would those roots be considered tubers of some kind since they seem to hold the nutrients for the plants? No matter how much compost I put on top each spring those tubers rise to the surface by July/August, when it blooms.
My understanding is they are called tubers, but they are not tubers that the plant can be propagated from. The tubers are for water or food storage. Kind of like the swollen roots on daylilies.
Thanks.
You're welcome. Strange little plants, I guess. But gorgeous.
Amazing how those tubers just keep rising upwards, almost as if they want the sun on them.
