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The
red and pink Sun Parasols mandevilla are
impressive in this mixed container. With proper
care, these flowers will bloom until frost.
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Many gardeners want
plants that will bloom right up until frost. Some
options in the past have been New Gold lantana or the
award-winning Diamond Frost euphorbia, and now gardeners
can add Sun Parasols mandevilla to that list of
summer-long bloomers.
Mandevillas also have the
common name Brazilian jasmine. As that name suggests,
mandevilla is from Brazil, but you will get the feeling
it is one of the locals when you see it at the garden
center. It is related to the allamanda vine, with its
yellow, bell-shaped flowers, and to plumeria, the
flowers that leis are made out of in Hawaii.
For years, the most
popular variety of mandevilla has been Alice du Pont,
which produces loads of large, pink, bell-shaped flowers
on a vigorous vine. The dark, glossy leaves have a
leathery feel. If you have seen a big, pink-flowered
vine growing up a neighbor’s mailbox, this was
probably the plant.
This year, however, look
for the new Suntory mandevillas by the name of Sun
Parasol. The Sun Parasol has the most deeply saturated
red on the market, and everyone has fallen head over
heels for its velvety flowers.
The Sun Parasols line has
nine varieties including Dark Red, Crimson and Giant
Crimson. You will also find Pink, Cream Pink and Giant
Pink. Those of you who like white will appreciate the
Sun Parasols Giant White. The other two varieties are
Sun Parasols Pretty Crimson and Sun Parasols Pretty
Pink. They are somewhat compact because of branching and
shorter internodes.
As with almost every
other plant I write about, this one will die if it does
not have well-drained soil. For best flowering,
mandevillas need to receive at least six to eight hours
of sunlight a day.
A vigorous vine and
flower producer, it needs small doses of fertilizer
every two to three weeks. Use a balanced, water-soluble
fertilizer or time-released granules. Maintain moisture
during the hot, dry times of the summer. A prolonged
period without water may prove fatal to the plant.
Try growing a mandevilla
in a large hanging basket and let it climb the long
chains. A lime green sweet potato vine flowing out of
the basket will help set off the mandevilla. Try
intertwining the mandevilla with the iridescent
blue-flowered Blue Glory thunbergia.
The Sun Parasols
mandevilla is a must for lattice structures around the
house. Its ability to climb 12 to 15 feet, and bloom
until fall, makes it a champion. As it is a tropical
plant from Brazil, treat it like an annual or give it
winter protection.
Before bringing it
indoors, know your goal is simply to hold the plant
until the next planting season. It will probably drop
leaves because of lower light conditions.
In the spring, you can
repot or plant in the landscape and resume the
fertilization program. Tropical plants are some of the
best options for plants with five or six months of
continuous bloom, and mandevillas like the Sun Parasols
are at the top of that list.
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