Overwintering Mandevilla

We were anticipating the possibility of a frost when our Mandevilla vine was just hitting its stride. I needed to make a decision about bringing it in for the winter. I had tried bringing my Mandevilla in last year and wrote about it in my post “Mandevilla: Bringing the Outside In.” My goal had been to keep it as a houseplant, but it dropped leaves like crazy and looked mostly dead, so I composted it. I have since read up a little bit more on how to overwinter this plant and think I may have given up too soon. I didn’t realize it was normal for the plant to go into dormancy.

The decision was made to give it another whirl. In the photo below, you’ll see me getting her ready to repot before transitioning her into the house. It was a bit nippy outside, so I used my 3-season porch as a potting shed.

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Here she is in a place where I can enjoy her every day for a few weeks. Even if this is all the more enjoyment I get from her, I think it was worth the little bit of extra effort.

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After a few weeks of minimal care and great enjoyment, she started dropping leaves and flowering less. I figured it was time to give her a good haircut.

Now it’s time to give her a good soaking, then let her go into dormancy and rest up for next season out in the garden. In a few days, she’ll be carried to a dark corner of the basement. My plan is to water her every 3 or 4 weeks (I’ll put a reminder on my phone). Round about April, I’ll bring her back upstairs and place her near a sunny window. From what I’ve read, with a little care, she should start putting on some new growth and soon be ready to head back outdoors once the temps stay above 60°F.

Hoping for more of this beauty next year!