Question: I’m in love with mandevilla. What special needs will it have?

Answer: This tropical vine has really caught the hearts of Texas gardeners. Give it morning sun, and shade from mid-afternoon on in the summer. It requires warm temperatures, so it won’t grow and bloom as well in early spring and late fall. It needs a high-nitrogen, water-soluble fertilizer with each watering. Biggest specific problem it’s likely to encounter if you over-winter it indoors or in a greenhouse will be mealybugs. Use a tender houseplant insecticide or a cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol to eliminate them as they show up.