Hallson Gardens

This has been a really strange year and this is now just starting to open. We are stripping leaves and getting ready to take the tropicals in so she is now leafless!

That's nice. I have a red sundavillea in the conservatory.

Karma, what is the reason for stripping the leaves off the tropicals? I have one mandevilla I move to the greenhouse. I also have 10 boueganvilla, a few ferns, some giant agaves, several thunbergia, passion vine, elephant ears...

Gruntfuttock, blooming photo please!!

eastwood2007, we are known for our stripping not only cabinets but plants!! I don't like to bring in any critters unless they are good ones! I even strip the roses and found to have less black spots that way too. There is a big difference from the leave you will see grow inside. We have learn this with our brug collection. Leaves will grow back!

hmmm...thanks, karma!

Karma, or anyone that can advise me: I had been looking all over the internet about what to do with my Mandevillas I bought this year. Didn't see this post till today. Have couple questions: I found instructions that said to feed them with 10-56-14 and slowly harden them off. Then cut to 6 to 12 inches. Do you feed yours? Never heard of feeding before dormancy. Do you cut yours back at all or just take off the leaves? I have never heard of stripping the leaves either, but I do know you do such a good job with your tropicals. Your brugs are gorgeous. One place said to put in a 55 degree cellar and another said a lighted room, both suggestions totally different. What would you do? We live in Iowa so they will have to be inside from now till probably May sometime. I do have a small solarium off our Master bedroom that is kept at about 55 degrees and gets some light in winter. from west and north. Cut back, put in light or dark, feed? Thanks! Jackie

Jackie, just strip off the leaves and put it in the small solarium off our Master bedroom, treat it like a house plant.
Do not feed until spring when you can safely put it out. We don't cut back unless we are taking cuttings. Scream if you need more information.

OK Karma, thanks! Both plants are covered in blooms yet, but I notice the blooms are smaller than earlier. I guess it is getting ready for bed. Poor thing is going to look stark naked without leaves. LOL! Probably shouldn't water it very much.

I've been following this, though I don't have a mandevilla - I've so far, just been admiring them. I was wondering about the reason for stripping the leaves on plants that have been growing outside and are being moved inside. Is it because they will just lose their leaves anyway? Because there may be insects hiding on the leaves? Or something else?
Thanks for any response.
Jeanne

Jackie, my mandevilla grows all year in my greenhouse. I mostly ignore it except watering if it is dry. I have always left leaves on, but most of them get pretty ratty by spring. The temp in there fluctuates from 35ish (only occasionally) to about 70 during the day. I think yours would do great in your solarium at 55!

Sorry Hapygdnr, I've been really busy and sort of laid up so I'm just getting back in here. We strip due to the critters and the fact that when some plants are moved inside that the leaves fall off, less mess is what makes me happy. Plus the leaves that do form inside are different from those that they have outside.

Gruntfuttock, blooming photo please!!

Patience grasshopper! It's having a growth spurt at the moment and has no flowers, but it is growing new buds daily, now you wouldn't want pictures of buds would you?

I could post a picture of the yellow one growing at my sister's house in Mexico.

grasshopper here would love to see the yellow one, Wow yellow guess I'll have to check that color out. M. Leah just opened but the bloom is really small, can't see her this am due to the fog. I'll try to get a photo when it lifts.

A bit blurry, but I'm sure it's a Mandevilla, it's no use asking my sister, everything is a cabbage to her.

Looks like a cabbage to me, pretty! Thanks for sharing.

I went out to shoot M. Leah and found her laying on the ground so no photo.

It sure looks like a mandevilla, G! Wow! I've never seen a yellow one...it's sure pretty!

karma_Happy_Toes wrote:Gruntfuttock, blooming photo please!!

After the growth spurt which took it to the top of its climbing frame in a few weeks the Sundavillea has now started flowering again.

So, is Sundavillea a cross of mandevillea and something? Different than mandevillea, I'm guessing, by dark glossy leaves...
Hapygdnr

Oh My!!!

Lovely, G!