Alice du Pont mandevilla is a gorgeous flowering vine that can add vibrant pops of color and visual interest to gardens patios, and outdoor living spaces. With its lush green foliage and abundant blooms in shades of pink red, and white, this tropical plant is ideal for containers, trellises, pergolas, and fences in warm climates.
In this article, we’ll explore the key benefits of growing Alice du Pont mandevilla vine and provide tips for successfully incorporating it into your outdoor space.
An Overview of Alice du Pont Mandevilla
Alice du Pont mandevilla (Mandevilla ‘Alice du Pont’) is a hybrid variety of mandevilla, a tropical flowering vine genus native to South and Central America. It’s a fast-growing evergreen vine that can reach up to 20 feet in height.
This mandevilla variety produces large, trumpet-shaped flowers in summer and fall Blooms come in bright shades like rich pink, bright red, and pure white The flowers emerge from fuzzy buds and grow in clusters along the vine’s stems.
Dense green foliage provides the perfect backdrop for the abundant blooms. The oval leaves grow up to 6 inches long. This vine thrives in hot, humid climates and can’t tolerate any frost. It’s winter hardy only in USDA zones 9-11.
Key Benefits of Growing Alice du Pont Mandevilla
Here are some of the top reasons to grow Alice du Pont mandevilla vine in your garden:
Provides Striking, Vibrant Color
The eye-catching blooms in shades of pink, red, and white add a pop of tropical color to outdoor spaces. As the flowers continue to emerge all season long, you’ll have continuous color to enjoy. The bold colors stand out beautifully against the deep green foliage.
Thrives in Hot Climates
Many plants struggle in the intense heat of summer. But Alice du Pont mandevilla actually thrives in hot, humid environments. It’s an excellent choice for Southern gardens and other tropical or subtropical climates. The vine continues pumping out gorgeous blooms even during sweltering summer temperatures.
Ideal for Containers
With its lush, trailing growth habit, Alice du Pont mandevilla makes a stunning container plant. Plant it in a large pot by itself or combine it with other tropical flowers and foliage plants. Place the container on a sunny patio, balcony, or deck. As the vines cascade over the edges, they’ll add incredible visual appeal.
Attracts Pollinators
The nectar-rich blooms attract all sorts of pollinator insects like bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. By adding this vine to your garden, you’ll bring in more pollinators to support the overall ecosystem. The increased pollinator activity can also boost fruit and vegetable yields.
Provides Privacy and Vertical Interest
Train Alice du Pont mandevilla vines onto trellises, pergolas, or fences to add a vertical element to your garden. As the vigorous vine climbs, it will cover up unattractive views and provide privacy. The flowers and trailing stems make for beautiful vertical accents.
Long Flowering Season
Unlike many flowering vines that only bloom for a short period, Alice du Pont mandevilla offers months of blossoms. In warm climates, it will flower continuously from spring through fall. You’ll get to enjoy the gorgeous display for most of the year with just one plant.
Adds Tropical Flair
The eye-catching blooms and lush foliage evoke a tropical feel. Alice du Pont mandevilla allows you to bring a taste of the tropics to your garden. Use it in beds, borders, and containers to create a coastal, vacation vibe even in landlocked regions.
How to Grow and Care for Alice du Pont Mandevilla
Growing Alice du Pont mandevilla vine successfully requires providing the right cultivation conditions. Here are some key care tips:
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Light: Grow mandevilla in full sun for the best flower production and plant growth. It needs at least 6 hours of direct sunlight per day.
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Soil: Plant in well-draining potting mix or loamy garden soil. Enrich with compost or organic fertilizer.
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Water: Water whenever the top few inches of soil become dry. Established vines are fairly drought tolerant but need regular irrigation in pots.
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Temperature: Mandevilla thrives in summer heat but cannot tolerate any frost. It grows best with hot summer temperatures above 70°F (21°C).
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Fertilizer: Feed every 2-3 weeks during the growing season with a balanced liquid fertilizer. Slow release granular fertilizer also works well.
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Support: Provide a strong trellis, pergola, or fence for support. Tie the flexible stems in place as they grow.
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Overwintering: Bring potted vines indoors before your first fall frost. Cut back watering and stop fertilizing. Prune back by half and store dormant over winter.
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Propagation: Take 6-8 inch tip cuttings in spring or summer. Remove lower leaves and dip cut end in rooting hormone. Place in potting mix and keep warm and moist until rooted.
Where and How to Display Alice du Pont Mandevilla Vine
Here are some great ways to showcase Alice du Pont mandevilla in your outdoor space:
Container Planting
Grow Alice du Pont mandevilla solo in a large container or mix it with other tropical plants like elephant ears, hibiscus, and palms. The trailing vines will spill gracefully over container edges. Place the pot on a sunny patio, balcony, or poolside.
Arbors & Pergolas
Train the flexible vines up and over a pergola or arbor situated in full sun. As the mandevilla climbs overhead, it will create a beautiful flowering canopy. Plant at the base of each pergola post and weave stems through the slats.
Garden Trellises
Add a vertical flowering accent to beds and borders by planting Alice du Pont mandevilla at the base of a trellis. As vines climb up, the flowers and foliage will completely cover the trellis to create a stunning display.
Fences & Railings
Let Alice du Pont mandevilla vine trail along fence lines and deck railings. Tie the vines loosely in place as they grow to guide them across horizontal surfaces. The dangling blooms and vines will soften hardscape edges.
Hanging Baskets
For a dramatic display, plant trailing Alice du Pont mandevilla in a hanging basket. Situate baskets where the vines can spill at least 3-4 feet down. The abundant blooms will cascade like a waterfall of colorful flowers.
Gorgeous Companion Plants for Alice du Pont Mandevilla
Here are some excellent options for companion plants that complement and accentuate an Alice du Pont mandevilla display:
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Large leaf tropicals like elephant ears, banana plants, and philodendron add bold foliage as a backdrop for the vines.
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Bougainvillea blooms in shades of pink, purple, red, and orange for more vivid color.
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Angel wing begonias and impatiens provide mounds of colorful flowers around mandevilla containers.
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Spiky architectural plants like yucca, canna lily, and bird of paradise contrast nicely with mandevilla’s soft, trailing habit.
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Coral honeysuckle and passionflower are fellow vining plants that intertwine beautifully with mandevilla.
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Shade lovers like ferns, coleus, and caladium thrive under mandevilla’s dense growth and fill in bare ground around its base.
Bring the Tropics Home with Alice du Pont Mandevilla Vine
With its non-stop blooms, vivid colors, lush foliage, and vigorous growth, it’s easy to see why Alice du Pont makes such a stellar addition to tropical-inspired gardens and outdoor living spaces. This heat-loving mandevilla variety thrives when given full sun and proper care. Display it in containers or train vines onto vertical structures for stunning visual impact.
Alice du Pont mandevilla vine allows anyone to bring a taste of the tropics home. Let this gorgeous flowering vine transform your patio, porch, or garden from ordinary to extraordinary with its exotic and elegant appeal.
Mandevilla Types
Today, easy-care mandevilla come in two main categories: mandevilla vines and mandevilla.
Are the old-fashioned type, which more gardeners tend to be familiar with. These plants quickly twine up and around trellises, arbors, and other structures, making them valuable for adding color vertically. Mandevilla vines climb by wrapping their new growth around a support. It’s important to know they grow in a clockwise or counterclockwise fashion, so pay attention when you train them. If yours grows clockwise, and you wrap it counterclockwise around its support, your mandevilla will unwind itself. Different varieties of mandevilla vines grow different heights; the largest varieties tend to climb between 10 to 15 feet tall in a gardening season. Because they are vines, you can train them to grow horizontally or vertically.
Tend to be newer selections. Rather than growing up, they form tidy mounds, making them ideal for use in garden and landscape beds and borders, as well as in container gardens. Most mounding mandevillas grow 12 to 18 inches tall and and don’t need supports to climb. Because they have more of a bushy habit, they’re also choices for hanging baskets and window boxes.
Originally, pink-flowering mandevillas were most common, such as the old variety ‘Alice Dupont’, but over time, plant breeders have expanded the color range. Now you can find mandevilla flowers in all shades of pink, from soft, cotton-candy pink to bright and bold hot pink. There are pure white and bright red mandevilla varieties, as well. There’s even an apricot-colored variety available.
When you’re at your local garden center shopping for mandevilla, look for lush plants with lots of dark green leaves. Plants that have a lot of yellow leaves (especially in the middle or at the top of the plant) may be stressed and less healthy. The presence of flowers doesn’t necessarily show a plant is because most are sold in full bloom. Selecting a mandevilla with flowers helps you ensure you’re getting the exact color you want. Another way you can look at a mandevilla’s health is to slip it out of its pot and look at the roots. Healthy roots are firm and white or creamy. Unhealthy roots will look yellowed or brown and be mushy. If the plant is suffering from rot, you may detect a foul odor in the potting mix, particularly toward the bottom of the pot. You’ll probably see mandevilla vines grown two ways: with trellises or with teepees. Trellised plants are better for growing on fence or structure you want them to fan out. Teepeed plants are better suited for places you can grow them vertically, such as up a pole or trellis.
Heat- and drought-tolerant mandevilla plants require little care once they’re planted and established. All varieties do best in a spot with sun — at least 6 to 8 hours of direct sun each day. They also like well-drained soil or potting mix. (Tip: If you grow mandevilla in containers, use a potting mix rather than garden soil, which can lead to root rot or disease problems.) Mandevilla require regular pruning, though you can prune them at any time if they start to get too large or grow out of bounds. Mandevillas grown in shade or part shade benefit from regular pruning to keep them from lanky and leggy. Mandevilla in the ground typically don’t require fertilizing as part of their care regimen, but potted plants benefit from fertilizer to keep them blooming profusely. The easiest way to fertilize is to mix some timed-release fertilizer into the potting mix when you plant; these products continue to slowly add nutrients to the soil over time. You can also fertilize regularly with a water-soluble product you mix with water. No matter what type of fertilizer you use for your mandevilla, follow the directions on the product’s instruction label to know how much fertilizer to use. Learn more about fertilizing plants. These are tropical and don’t like frosty temperatures. If you live in an area that experiences frequent frosts, you need to consider them as annuals or bring them indoors for the winter to care for as houseplants. Get tips for saving tropical plants like mandevilla before winter. Get winter care tips for your mandevilla.
Today there are many varieties of mandevilla available at local garden centers, mass merchandisers, and home improvement centers. Some of the most popular types include:
This was one of the first varieties that was widely available. It features large pink flowers and textural leaves. It’s not as floriferous as newer selections.
Dipladenia is another name for mandevilla.
Summervillea is an especially strong mounding variety that shows off a profusion of rich red flowers. We’ve found that, in our Miami, Florida, Trial Garden, Summervillea holds up better than other varieties as a perennial.
Alice Dupont Mandevilla
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