Dipladenia: care and pruning in pots and in the garden

There dipladenia also said Mandevilleis an evergreen and climbing plant belonging to the family of Apocynaceae. Originally from southern Brazil, this plant is well known for its lush and long-lasting flowering. Its cultivation does not require too many tricks and it also has a good ability to adapt to different environments. Choosing a dipladenia for your garden is a guarantee of enrichment of color and elegance, thanks to its very lively flowers and its large glossy leaves. Dipladenia is a plant that can reach three meters in height and definitely prefers a warm climate even if it can tolerate colder temperatures that do not exceed five to eight degrees Celsius.

The curiosity

Whether you decide to place the dipladenia in a vase of the living room or to leave it in the garden, it will be good, if four-legged friends live in the house, to keep them away from this plant or in any case prevent them from playing with the stem or with the flowers. In fact, dipladenia is a botanical species endowed with an excessive degree of toxicity, for animals but also for humanstherefore to avoid unpleasant situations it is advisable to create an area off limits for our pets.

Features

THE dipladenia flowers they are majestic flowers, very large, with an intense and pleasant fragrance. The size of these flowers can even reach seven centimeters and depending on the species grown, they will be of colors ranging from white to pink to bright red, to lemon yellow. Not only do the flowers play an important role in the beauty of this plant, in fact the leaves also contribute: they have an oval, thick, dark green color and are slightly pubescent in the lower part not exposed to the sun. Dipladenia is a plant that loves fairly warm temperatures between 20 and 30 degrees, therefore in summer it will give its best between April and October with its spectacular flowering thanks to the action of the sun’s rays. Therefore it is recommended not to plant it in too shady areas of the garden since in that case the plant will adorn itself with many leaves but just as many fewer flowers.

In winter

During the winter period for protect the plant from frosts and very cold temperatures which would compromise its health, it will be good to place the dipladenia in a cool place where there is a constant temperature between ten and fifteen degrees centigrade. Even the domestic climate is generally not ideal in winter for keeping plants as the use of radiators makes the air drier; the ideal condition could be to place the dipladenia on the landing or inside the condominium spaces, ensuring good natural lighting.

Diseases and care

Dipladenia is a particularly resistant plant but is often attacked by parasites that can compromise its health. One of these is the red spider mitewhich settles on the leaves made little humid by the excessive heat, causing damage to the structure of the leaf and slowly to the whole plant. It will be a good habit especially on summer evenings to proceed with the vaporization of water on the surface of the leaves which will make them less attractive. Another parasite responsible for the diseases of dipladenia is the cochineal which feeds on the sap of the plant producing at the same time a whitish waxy substance and at the same time a very sugary substance which in turn attracts the ants. Just proceed with cleaning each affected leaf with a cotton swab dipped in alcohol to avoid the invasion of insects. Dipladenia prefers exposure to direct rays of the sun it is therefore advisable to cultivate it in bright locations.

Pot culture

As we have already said, dipladenia is not a plant that loves harsh climates, therefore in areas particularly exposed to colder temperatures it is advisable to plant this shrub in a pot, so that it can be sheltered when the winter season arrives. So being one climbing plant, it is good to have a very large vase since it will certainly grow above all in height and also quite quickly. The ideal pot for this plant must be equipped with holes in the bottom in order to guarantee a water drainage always active and even before the soil and the fertilizer, it will be good to place coarse clay pebbles which will hinder the stagnation of the water. This is in fact one of the causes of damage to the plant which will soon lose flowers and turn yellow leaves. Therefore, particular attention will be requiredirrigation which in summer must be frequent but monitored through the state of the soil. The advice that applies to all climbing plants at the time of potting is to place supports or arches that are useful for the plant to start its climb upwards and to strengthen the stem faster. Of course they can be removed once the plant has reached its maturity.

Pruning

When the start of the new year is around the corner you can proceed with the pruning of dipladenia. In fact, the period between the end of December and the beginning of January is ideal for cutting branches that are too tall and bare which will remove essential nourishment from the plant. THE dried flowers and the yellowed leaves generally autonomously they will abandon the plant and therefore will not require much dedication.