Alice du Pont Mandevilla

Mandevilla 'Alice du Pont'

flower

Alice du Pont is the classic mandevilla, a glamorous tropical vine grown for its big, glossy, trumpet-shaped pink flowers. It is a woody, twining evergreen climber that can reach twenty feet in the ground in the tropics but stays a manageable three to five feet in a container, and from spring through fall it produces a steady show of pure pink, flared, two to four inch flowers among lush, leathery green leaves. Loved for window boxes, patio pots, hanging baskets, and trellises, mandevilla blooms tirelessly through heat and humidity. It is a tender tropical that is grown as a container or annual plant in most of the country and overwintered indoors, since it cannot take temperatures much below the mid-forties.

✅ Plant alongside

Good neighbors that attract beneficial insects or deter pests

• Bougainvillea — A fellow sun-loving tropical vine with matching heat and light needs for a vivid container or trellis duo
• Lantana — A heat-tough flowering companion at the base that draws butterflies in the same full sun
• Sweet Potato Vine — A trailing foliage plant that spills from the same pot and contrasts the upright mandevilla

🛡️ Pest & disease prevention

Proactive ways to stop trouble before it starts — tap a name with an arrow for its full guide

• Aphids →

  Cluster on tender new growth and buds - rinse off with water and encourage ladybugs

• Mealybugs →

  White cottony clusters in leaf joints, common on plants brought indoors - dab with rubbing alcohol or rinse off and treat with horticultural oil

• Spider mites →

  Stipple leaves with fine webbing in hot, dry indoor air - raise humidity, rinse the foliage, and keep the plant from drought stress

• Scale →

  Bumps on stems and leaves that drip honeydew - prune out heavy infestations and treat with horticultural oil

🌸 Blooms & cutting

Mandevilla is grown for nonstop container and trellis color rather than for cutting. It is self-cleaning and needs no deadheading, blooming on its own from spring to frost; an occasional pinch of the growing tips keeps it bushy and full. The main seasonal task in cold climates is overwintering: before the first cold nights, cut the vine back, pot it if it is not already potted, and move it to a bright, warm indoor spot, watering sparingly until growth resumes in spring. Wear gloves when cutting it, since the milky sap can irritate skin.

🥗 Nutrition & benefits

A purely ornamental tropical vine grown for its big, glossy pink trumpet flowers all season long in pots, baskets, and on trellises. The flowers offer some nectar to bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds, but mandevilla is grown above all for its tireless, glamorous bloom through heat and humidity.

⚠️ Toxicity & safety

Mandevilla is in the dogbane family and exudes a milky sap when cut that can irritate the skin and eyes, and eating the plant may cause mild stomach upset in pets and people. It is fine to grow and handle with care - wear gloves when pruning and wash the sap off skin, and keep pets from chewing it.