Mandevilla or Dipladenia? What’s the Difference?

Dipladenia ‘White Halo’ in my garden

In past years, I have grown Mandevilla plants but this year I have a Dipladenia growing in a container. I know the name is a mouthful, they have to come up with an easier name to pronounce, let alone spell. My Dipladenia is a Flordenia type which is supposed to be more floriferous, stronger branching, and heat and drought tolerant. I have White Halo which of course has white flowers.

Both Mandevilla and Dipladenia plants are popular tropical plants. They bloom all summer long in full sun, undaunted by dry spells.  The flowers are very similar, trumpet-shaped, in a range of white, pink, reds, yellow and even peach.

But there is one distinct difference between the two.

Mandevilla with hoya-like foliage

Mandevilla is a vining plant; it climbs up to the sunlight. You purchase it with the intent to cover an arbor, pergola, or obelisk. The stems and foliage remind me of a hoya plant (in fact, they are cousins). The leaves seem larger than the Dipladenia, pointed and glossy. However, if you purchased a Mandevilla and would like to grow it as a shrub, you can just prune it.

A Dipladenia is a shrub, it will not climb up a structure. This makes it perfect for containers and hanging baskets. The foliage is smaller, more compact, and more matte than glossy. The space between nodes (joints where leaves arise) is shorter than the Mandevilla. It is more of a slow grower while a Mandevilla will grow fast to cover a structure. Although they both have trumpet-shaped flowers, to me the Dipladenia flowers appear flatter with a shallow throat.

Dipladenia with compact foliage

Both are full sun, drought tolerant with no need to deadhead (the older I get the more important this is to me). They attract pollinators and are deer and rabbit resistant.

As fall approaches, they can be kept overwinter in order to plant in the garden the following year (these are not cheap plants). There are several ways to do this depending on the space and light in your house. You can root 4 to 6-inch stem cuttings and grow them inside as houseplants. You can give your plant a good trim in the fall, up to one half of the foliage to reduce transpiration, bring the plant in and place in a sunny, cool location and water less often. Or you can cut the foliage back severely, place the plant in a cool, dark place and stop watering. Let it go dormant for the winter but check on it so it does not dry out completely.

Don’t be surprised if containers of Mandevilla and Dipladenia get mixed up at the local garden centers. Most people do not recognize the difference. Regardless, they are great investments for constant summer blooms especially when we have dry summers such as this one.

Mandevilla