Mandevilla question re: pruning

I purchased a Mandevilla vine recently. It's in a gallon pot with a little hoop for it to grow on. Looking at the PlantFiles info, I guess it will get to be about 6-8 feet.

I'm thinking about getting an arch or arbor and putting that on there, possibly along with a Clematis. Can anyone tell me if the Mandevilla requires any pruning? I'd want to make sure that whatever I put with it has the same requirements.

Thanks!

Btw, it's red, but it didn't give a cultivar name on the tag, just Mandevilla.

I don't think it'll make it through your winters, so I suspect it won't need much pruning. Maybe a wayward tendril here and there that aren't climbing how you want them to, but I don't think it'll need major pruning when grown as an annual.

I purchased my first Mandevilla vine last May. It came in a gallon pot also. It sent out many runners (vines?) that hung on to strings I put on my porch. An arbor would be perfect. I brought it inside last fall before the first frost. Pruned it to the quick... No water barely any sun. And it came back beautifully this early spring.
It is still inside next to my slider catching some rays growing great! Its about 3 ft tall and winding around the woodern trellis in the pot. I will put it back outside when weather permits. It puts out tons o flowers all summer long. GM :)

Thanks for that, Grandmaggie! I guess I'll just plant that sucker and see how it does, and prune it if it looks like it needs it.

When mine blooms this spring, I will post some pics! GM :) (ps my nephew lives in TX)

Hi,
My Mandeville vine lives all winter and I am in 9a. If you dont get much frost it will overwinter outside. Fran
Ps we dont prune them much.

Every year I buy two to three mandevilles and treat them as annuals. They grow so tall and produce flowers all summer! Last year I decided to bring them indoors, I pruned them just like Granmaggie, little water every two weeks, spray them with an anti fungus to prevent mildew, and guess what, they are all alive and doing beautifully. They are not outside yet, but will be ready soon! I am including a picture of one of them last year, early summer 2007. I placed them growing on my gazebo. I know that here in NY the mandeville dies in the winter because of the freezing temperatures. Maybe yours will survive outside if you try to mulch it and cover it!.
One thing though, you say that you are going to place it next to the clematis, I am afraid that it would take over the clematis because they are fast growers! Good Luck and enjoy!

Here is another one, no pruning for me until I brought indoors!

Very nice cmdelg! OK, heres mine from last Sept. They are so beautiful!! GM

GM just gorgeous!!! do you get a lot of sun in that spot? Mine were in hot baking sun and a little shade from the canopie.

Yes, it was in full sun. I soaked and sprayed it every morning.
Here is a pic I took today. It is such a fast grower!
All of this in about 2 weeks!
I will get one more this spring. I heart them! GM

GM, it looks like you pruned yours more than I did mine. I'll take a picture tomorrow and post them (I am not at the house) Mine seem to be bigger, maybe because of the prunning. I hope when we get them outside, they do ok and bloom just as much as last years! i've heard from many people over here that they can't get mandevillas to overwinter in a house becuase of the mildew. ours are a true success!

I cut it all the way back. Thats what my brother in law said to do he's pretty good at gardening stuff!
Time will tell!
Will be looking for your pics tomorrow! GM

GM, here is one of my Mandeville' overwintering, the picture was a little dark and I highlighted it! See how big it is! I wonder if yours will grow better this summer because you pruned to the botton or mine mmm, will be interesting to see the results. keep you posted and you keep me posted. Clemen

WOW! cmdelg!!! It is huge! And its in such a pretty pot also. Yes, I will check in here now and then on our progress.
I am usually in the Birdwatching Forum, but sometimes I go to NE Gardening and Hibuscus also. GM

I prune mine back every year otherwise it gets really leggy. Other than that it comes back every year with more and more blooms.

Hi I did a search on Mandevilla because I had a question and this thread seems to talk about people overwintering them. I want to try it this year, the forecast for tonight is showing 37 degrees F. On the radio they recommended covering tenders because there is probably going to be a frost. I didn't know if I should go dig it up and bring it in now. It isn't supposed to be as cold for the rest of the week, but in my googles I found it was recommended to bring them in if it would be colder than 45 degrees F. Can you experienced Mandevilla overwinterers help me? Any help is greatly appreciated. : )

Jez Meredith, 37 Degrees, I would buy some burlap and cover her for now. You are saying that the temps will not be as cold later on during the week. I leave mine outside as long as I can, also I keep mine in pots, is your on the ground?

Thank you Clemen. Yup tonight they are saying 37 with good chance for a frost then the low tomorrow night is 40 but after that it's going back up to high 40's low 50's. It's supposed to be nice and warm during the days still so I will be so sad to have to take out the mandevilla it looks soo beautiful right now!

Just cover her at night then with the burlap, I think you should be fine as long as the ground does not freeze!

Can I use sheets instead? Just a wondering, so I don't have to spend any dough $ if I don't have to.

How about some old blankets, actually anything should help. Are you getting your frost from Canada, that is what we will get tonight, brrrrrrrrrr

Yes I think it is from Canada. It is early for a frost even here. I do have some blankets I could use - wonderful idea! : )
I saw in some previous posts here that you've overwintered them before. Any tips for someone new to it like me? I don't have any real good spots in the house as far as sun goes. A south facing window that gets sun for a little while but we don't get a whole lot of sun in winter here. Also I want to keep it down stairs and we don't turn the heat up down there, it's a split house so the downstairs is not the main living area. Any suggestions as to what minimum temps to keep it at?

To tell you the truth mine stay inside an apartment with no heat in the winter. The only heat they get is from the tenant downstairs and the heat rises you know. Temp wise in that apartment during the harsh months between 45 to 50 degrees, otherwise 60's. No sun, I have so many tropicals there that the only plants that get the sunny window are my cactis and succulents, the lucky ones. I even have passis there that bloom all winter long, imagine that. I do trow though lots of an antifungal powder. Mandevillas tend to get powdery mildew. Any more questions, just holler!

This message was edited Sep 18, 2008 4:25 PM

I am in Zone 9b just south of you (in the Corpus Christi area) and I overwintered my mandevilla outside on my convered patio this past winter--we did have a mild winter this past year though. I have mine in a pot growing up a trellis, and it doesn't require a lot of pruning.

Meredith, how did you make out with the vine last night? It was sure cold over here in NY!

We didn't end up getting a frost, Thank goodness! I have so much stuff that would have been ruined if we had. Last night the weather report said low would be about 42 and this morning just before sunrise my thermometer read 43. Phew : )

Saved by the bell, I am glad!

In hopes this thread is still being watched..... I can't tell if my mandevilla is dead or dormant. I've been keeping it in my garage which has gotten as cold as 40 degrees at times. (On average it is 45 to 50F) The plant files says they are hardy to 30 degrees but when I google their hardiness everything says they won't tolerate colder than 45F. I had it in the ground until the first killing frost, (I was assuming it would be okay because the root zone would not have been colder than 30) then I dug it up and cut it down to 12" right above where the oddly shaped parts of the stems were (where the shoots appear to grow out of.) I've been trying to only give it a little water when it gets on the dry side. I have been keeping a grow light that over it that turns on for about 10 hours a day. I have some other plants with it that are still green and growing, Cape Fuchsia and a Salvia microphylla. Is there a way to tell if it's dead or just dormant?

Meredith, I am still watching it! Say, you obviously have not seen any green yet right? I would say try cutting a tiny piece and see if what you cut is green. Mine are kept inside an apartment at 45 to 50 degrees in the winter and they are showing growth already. Good luck and let me know.

Okay thank you, I am off to work for about an hour but when I get back I will try that and let you know. I was thinking on moving it to a warmer spot to see if it would 'wake' it up. : )

Yes, I am still watching too! Mine is kept in a spare bedroom with the heat about 60. There is a bit of green, about 12 inches or so. I would do what Clemen suggests, let us know how it goes! GM (Hi Clemen!)

HI GM, lol, long time I do not talk to you.Glad to see we are getting back to this discussion, lol, we had it so long ago! Meredith, we want to hear good news, wanna see a little green!

And I will remember to put it in full sun this spring on the other side of my porch!

lol you should!
Mine did great this past summer and I also acquired new ones, white, red, pink and white and a yellow one. They are all doing fine indoors, actually the red one is sitting on a bay window in the same 50 degree weather apartment and blooming!

Okay I cut a couple of the stems and there isn't any green inside. : ( Could it still come back from the roots?

Keep cutting more until you see green, come on I have my fingers crossed!

I had to go to an evening meeting, and just settled in. I will cut some more tomorrow and let you know. I will be very sad if it doesn't make it. Here's a picture of it on sept 15th, it was so pretty. : )

I wouldn't cut it back unless you have somewhere warmer to keep it for the rest of the winter. If you're having to cut it back to get to "live" plant, then the other parts were likely damaged by cold, and if you cut it back farther, now you're exposing the live part to those same cold temperatures so they'll get killed too and your chances of it coming back for you in the spring will be less than if you just left it alone.

Yes the top part was exposed to cold in fall before I dug it up. Enough to kill it all the way back. I think I am going to move it to a slightly warmer room and see if it gets it to grow. If I look at the roots could I tell by them if the plant is dead? I remember what they looked like when i dug them up, nice and plump. I wonder if they would be shriveled up or something if it isn't going to make it.