Shrub · Apocynaceae
Dipladenia
Mandevilla sanderi
Hand it full sun, warmth, and sharp drainage, and dipladenia spills out trumpet flowers from early summer into 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 Brazilian vine grown for its glossy leaves and an unbroken parade of trumpet-shaped flowers. It sits in the dogbane family alongside oleander and periwinkle, and like those relatives, every stem runs with a milky sap. Gardeners pick it as a patio and container plant that keeps flowering once the air turns warm.
The split between the two names comes down to trade and shape. Plants labeled Dipladenia stay short and bushy with a leaning, trailing tendency that fits pots, baskets, and window boxes, while those labeled Mandevilla climb harder and grow larger. Hardy only in zones 9 to 11, it stays outside all year in the mildest gardens and is treated as a summer annual or moved indoors for winter everywhere else.
Sun feeds it and soggy roots break it. Give it heat, bright light, and a fast-draining mix, and the trumpet flowers keep coming through fall. Let the roots stew in wet soil or meet a cold snap, and those blooms turn into yellow leaves and dropped buds.
Care
The short version: full sun and steady warmth, a fast-draining mix so the roots never sit wet, a high-phosphorus bloom feed across the growing season, and gloves on every time you cut into the sappy stems.
Light
Dipladenia sets the most buds in full sun, and the brighter the direct light, the heavier the flowering. It can scrape by in partial shade or bright indirect light indoors, but the wave of bloom thins quickly once the strong sun is gone.
Water
Keep the mix moist but never waterlogged through summer, letting the top of the pot dry out between drinks. The plant cannot stand wet feet and rots at the root when it stays sodden, so ease right off the watering in winter as growth slows.
Soil
Set it in rich, sharp-draining soil, either a sandy blend with humus or a peat-based potting medium. It takes acidity in stride and does fine anywhere from pH 6.0 to 8.0, but quick drainage counts for far more than the precise reading.
Temperature
It sits comfortably between 45°F and 84°F (7°C to 29°C) and needs reliable warmth to keep its flowers coming. Nights under about 50°F (10°C) stall it, and a frost will finish it off, so bring it indoors ahead of the cold.
Humidity
Dipladenia favors high humidity and answers dry air by falling prey to spider mites indoors. Cluster it with other plants or stand it over a pebble tray through winter to hold moisture in the air around it.
Feeding
Across spring and summer, feed every two weeks with a high-phosphorus bloom fertilizer like a 10-20-10. That extra phosphorus drives flowers over foliage, which is precisely what you're after with this plant.
Pruning
Pinch the tips off new shoots to hold it bushy and compact, and snip lightly to shape it and clear away faded blooms. Glove up for the work, because the cut stems weep a stinging milky sap.
Repotting
Shift it into a larger pot every 1 to 2 years in spring. Roots winding out the drainage holes, water rushing straight through, or growth and flowering that have tailed off all signal the moment has come.
Size & spacing
12–59 in (30–150 cm) tall
When to plant
Dipladenia loves heat and cannot take a frost. Keep it sheltered indoors until the cold has fully gone and nights hold above about 50°F (10°C), then move it out for the season, and it blooms from early summer straight into 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
Trouble on a dipladenia tends to surface on the foliage, driven either by sap-feeding pests or by roots left too wet. Spot the first signs and the cure stays easy. Find the closest match below, then step in before it gets worse.
Pale, dotted leaves laced with fine webbing
A stippled, washed-out leaf surface threaded with thin silk points to spider mites, which breed fast in the hot, dry air that surrounds a plant carried indoors for winter. Flip a leaf and look for specks that creep, or knock the foliage over a sheet of white paper to spot them. Blast the leaves with a hard jet of water, treat with insecticidal soap or horticultural oil, and lift the humidity so the mites lose their grip.
Fix:
- Rinse foliage with a strong spray of water
- Treat with insecticidal soap or horticultural oil, repeating per label
- Raise humidity around the plant
Fuzzy white clumps and a tacky film along the stems
Cottony white fluff and a sticky sheen mark mealybugs or scale, with whitefly or aphids occasionally crowding in. Probe the leaf axils and stems for the woolly bugs, the hard fixed lumps of scale, or a haze of whiteflies that scatters when you nudge the plant. Touch small clusters with an alcohol-soaked swab, follow with insecticidal soap or oil, and pull the plant away from its neighbors so the pests can't travel.
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 with buds falling unopened
Yellow, slumping leaves and buds that drop before they open usually trace back to root rot in waterlogged soil, or a chill draft that has jolted the plant. Tip it from the pot and press the roots: sound ones feel firm and pale, while rotted ones go brown and soft. Let the surface of the soil dry before watering again, sort out the drainage, and settle the plant somewhere warm above about 50°F (10°C), clear of cold air.
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 falls
Spreading tan to brown blotches that fade the leaf to yellow and then loosen it signal anthracnose, a fungus that settles in when foliage stays damp for long stretches. Strip off and bin the spotted leaves, keep water off the leaf surface, and turn to a labeled fungicide only when the spotting 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 caution. Every part carries a milky latex sap that can sting skin and eyes and unsettle the stomach if chewed, and nothing on it is fit to eat. Pull on gloves before you prune, and keep the leaves out of reach of pets, livestock, and young children.
Toxic to
Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds · People
Cats Mild
A cat that nibbles the foliage may drool and feel queasy, occasionally bringing up its stomach. The reaction stays light and usually clears on its own.
Dogs Mild
After a dog mouths a leaf, look for some drooling and a sour stomach, with the occasional bout of vomiting. The signs tend to fade quickly.
Horses Caution
The bitter milky sap turns most horses away, yet a mouthful can still sting the mouth and gut. Keep the plant well clear of the paddock to play it safe.
Rabbits Caution
A rabbit should never graze this. The stinging latex can burn the mouth and churn the gut, so keep it off the menu completely.
Livestock Caution
Goats, sheep, and cattle seldom go for it, though the same sap can sting the mouth and digestion if they take a bite. Fence it well away from anything that grazes.
Birds Caution
A pet bird has nothing to gain from the leaves or sap, and the stinging latex could trouble a small bird fast. Keep it firmly out of reach.
People Caution
Nothing on this plant is edible. The milky sap can flush and sting the skin and burn the eyes, so pull on gloves to prune and stop curious children 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 dipladenia for sale today springs from a handful of breeding series, each chosen for compact, free-flowering plants that suit pots and baskets. These are the names that turn up most often.
'Rio' series
A tidy, bushy Dipladenia type that flowers freely and was bred for containers and baskets, opening blooms in red, pink, and white.
'Sundaville' (Sun Parasol)
A series that mounds and trails, holding glossy leaves and trumpet flowers across the whole summer, with compact selections shaped for hanging baskets and window boxes.
'Madinia' series
A densely branched, bushy Dipladenia type offered for patios and pots, valued for its large flowers set against dark glossy foliage.
How to propagate
You can raise more dipladenia from a plant you already own, whether by rooting a cutting or by layering a stem while it stays joined to the parent. Each one calls for patience, and each one weeps the same stinging sap, so keep gloves within reach.
Stem cuttingsModerate
Spring to summer · 4 to 8 weeks to root
Snip tip cuttings from shoots that aren't flowering during spring or summer, and pull on gloves because the cut stems bleed a stinging milky sap. Settle them into a damp, sharp-draining medium with warmth and bright indirect light, and roots come on over the following 4 to 8 weeks.
LayeringModerate
Spring to summer · Several weeks to months
During spring or summer, peg a low, bendable stem against damp soil and let it root where it lies, which can take anywhere from several weeks to a few months. After the fresh roots take hold, sever the rooted piece from the parent plant.
Myths
Dipladenia is a separate plant from Mandevilla.
Both sit in one genus, and Dipladenia is simply an older trade label for the bushier forms of Mandevilla sanderi. What sets them apart is growth habit: Dipladenia keeps a bushy, mounding shape, while plants sold under the Mandevilla name climb vigorously and reach a greater size. Botanically they are one and the same, and the genus Mandevilla takes in everything once called Dipladenia.