Dipladenia/Mandevill a

I've just looked them up. They do look lovely, and should suit your weather.

I just looked them up too. They are beautiful, but I think they would be difficult to grow successfully outdoors in the UK because they are tropical plants, and want a nighttime temperature of 18-21, where I am that would only be once or twice a year. I’m not mad on pelargoniums, but they aren’t as fussy, they survive on benign neglect.

I put my last year's plants, still in their pots, to winter under evergreen shrubs. Temperatures at night were often around zero. They have all survived, kept their glossy green leaves and now I have brought them out again and even have small buds.

The weather here has turned very cold again but I have had to water them as we've had so little rain this year.

They can be treated as annuals anyway.

They are houseplants here and, in my experience (and my friend's), very hard to grow.

My daughter bought me a Mandevilla last spring. It survived and flourished in NW England. It was the loveliest flowering plant until late autumn. Loved it, although the frost killed it, sadly.

I've grown Mandevillas and I love them .
I love their bold trumpets of every colour.
But the frost will kill them .
They come from South and Central America and our cold English weather doesn't suit them .

As a rule of thumb - once your lawn stops growing - it's time to bring them into the warmth .

Esmay

I've grown Mandevillas and I love them .
I love their bold trumpets of every colour.
But the frost will kill them .
They come from South and Central America and our cold English weather doesn't suit them .

As a rule of thumb - once your lawn stops growing - it's time to bring them into the warmth .

Glad to find someone else who knows and loves these!

The mandevilles are the creeping/climbing one. Dipladenias are a smaller, shrubby plant, easier to grow as they do not need staking.

Giulia -
I grew them when I lived abroad .
I bought some here and put them on the open porch and forget all about the frost .
I'm wondering about having a greenhouse .

I bought one from Lidl for £9 several years ago. It did very well in a pot in my front porch, before finally giving up the ghost. I put it outside in the summer but brought it indoors in the winter months.

Amazing what you can buy from Lidl :

A few years ago, I bought a lot of peonies in there. They were only about £3 each and the local garden centre sells them for £15 each .

The selection was huge .

I was dubious as
they did look a bit dried up .
I gave them a little bath in a diluted seaweed mixture and then planted them in a peat free compost with a slow release fertiliser.
And they are actually better than the expensive ones .

I still have my mother's old peonies ,which are at least 35 years old .

They are planted out and I never do anything special to them except for a watering during dry spells and again a little slow release fertiliser .

Esmay

Amazing what you can buy from Lidl :

A few years ago, I bought a lot of peonies in there. They were only about £3 each and the local garden centre sells them for £15 each .

The selection was huge .

I was dubious as
they did look a bit dried up .
I gave them a little bath in a diluted seaweed mixture and then planted them in a peat free compost with a slow release fertiliser.
And they are actually better than the expensive ones .

I still have my mother's old peonies ,which are at least 35 years old .

They are planted out and I never do anything special to them except for a watering during dry spells and again a little slow release fertiliser .

I so miss peonies - have only seen pink ones here in Italy. I remember so well the gorgeous deep red ones we had in our garden when I was a child. My mother would pick a large bunch and place them in the empty living room grate in an old, large terracotta jug. Unforgettable beauty!

Easy to grow and so very lovely .
Part of my childhood too .
My mother ,who was a gifted gardener grew deep pink ones .
She was a very good flower arranger and put them in a old green vase
I have a huge variety of colours in pots .
They seem to love being grown that way .

We had them in our gardens in both France and Switzerland, although they were mostly in pots. As they grew there up to an altitude of 1300meters, they should be all right hereabouts. They like lots of sunshine too.

How wonderful to have them growing in France and Switzerland .

As they come from cooler climes in China and Japan - I guess that the altitude wouldn't faze them !

I love the way that they are used in Chinese medicine (one use -against epilepsy and I believe period pain) and are depicted in the art of China and Japan .

Here ,they are enjoying a revival in bridal bouquets though this seems to be pale pink Sarah Bernhardt .

And it's lovely .

I have them on the hot and cool sides of the garden as well as in pots.
They prefer to be potted and then ,the cooler side .
I think that the sun on wet leaves causes phototropism ,which is not attractive in any plant !

Not phototropism -wrong word -just sun scorching on wet leaves !