Mandevilla sanderi Diamantina Amethyst Violet

Dipladenia or Mandevilla sanderi Diamantina Amethyst 'Violet' is a compact, semi-climbing plant that does not exceed 50 cm high, but whose twining stems require a small support to wrap around. This variety develops large violet flowers with orange hearts. They bloom on dark green foliage from May until the first frost. This generous plant is sensitive to cold but will easily survive the winter behind a bay window, on a bright veranda, or in a lightly heated greenhouse.

Mandevilla, named in honour of diplomat and gardener Henry Mandeville, are fast-growing climbing plants, mostly native to the tropical forests of Serra de Orgaos, near Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. Growing at high altitudes, these tropical plants thrive in temperate climates, spared from frost, in semi-shade or filtered light in summer. In the 1970s, Robert Lannes, a French horticulturist based in Tarn-et-Garonne, was the first to take an interest in hybridising these plants with immense potential. Years of research and selection have resulted in particularly floriferous, more compact varieties with a variety of colours, easy to grow by amateur gardeners.

The Diamantina series, derived among others from Mandevilla sanderi, produces plants with a compact habit well suited for pot cultivation and stands out for its wide range of colours, even offering some unprecedented shades such as the white with yellow-orange heart of 'Jade White'.

The 'Amethyst 'Violet' Dipladenia stands out for its particularly large flowers and has a climbing but compact habit that characterises plants in this series. The plant will rapidly reach an average of 50 cm in all directions. Its beautiful, large, 7 to 9 cm diameter flowers, are composed of 5 large violet lobes that overlap like the blades of a propeller. They are grouped in small clusters and bloom continuously from May to frost. The evergreen and leathery foliage consists of small entire, dark green leaves, arranged oppositely. The thick and leathery, oval to elliptical leaf, has a shiny upper surface. This plant has fine roots and large tuberous roots, true storage organs that contain starch and water, allowing the plant to withstand drought quite well.

Dipladenias or Mandevillas are prized for embellishing terraces, balconies, and patios, as well as decorating pergolas and trellises and lend themselves to a variety of settings, depending on their habit and compactness, alone or with other colours. The Diamantina Amethyst 'Violet' variety stands out for its heat resistance and ideally suits large flower pots, with a small support that its impressive flowers illuminate, as a centrepiece or in troughs, as a trailing plant even under direct sunlight on a terrace or balcony. It harmonises perfectly in contrast with a Ceratostigma plumbaginoides, or a Diamond Frost Euphorbia with white flowers or a foliage plant like Silver Falls Dichondra. It is only recommended for growing in open ground in frost-protected areas, especially in the south of the Atlantic coast or in regions where orange trees grow, along the Mediterranean coast.