Uninterruptedly Blooming Climbing Vines for the Entire Summer Season
In the heart of summer, gardens burst with vibrant colours and intoxicating scents. To ensure your outdoor space is filled with continuous blooms throughout the season, here are some tips for growing Mandevilla and other summer-flowering vines.
Mandevilla, with its bold, tropical appearance, is a popular choice for gardeners seeking summer-long colour. To grow Mandevilla successfully for continuous flowering, provide it with at least six hours of direct sunlight daily. This strong light is essential for optimal bloom production.
Watering Mandevilla moderately is key. Allow the soil to dry out slightly between waterings, avoiding overwatering. The plant prefers moist but not soggy soil.
Regular feeding with fertilizer is also crucial for Mandevilla's ongoing blooming. Start with a slow-release granular fertilizer when planting, then switch to a balanced, water-soluble fertilizer every two weeks during the growing season.
Mandevilla, being native to tropical climates, prefers warm and humid conditions. In dry indoor environments, leaves may drop. To maintain these conditions, keep the plant in a warm spot and mist the leaves regularly.
Support climbing varieties with a trellis or similar structure to allow them to climb, promoting healthy growth and flowering. Pruning leggy growth to stimulate branching and regularly removing spent flower stalks ("deadheading") will also prolong the blooming period and keep the plant attractive.
Mandevilla performs well in pots on patios, decks, or porches, making it easier to manage light, water, and temperature needs for continuous blooming.
Star jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides) is another vine that adds a touch of elegance to summer gardens. Its clusters of pinwheel-shaped white flowers appear in waves throughout the season, filling summer nights with intoxicating perfume.
Maximizing Bougainvillea blooms requires plenty of sunlight and controlled stress. The vines produce their heaviest flower displays when slightly water-stressed between thorough waterings. Bougainvillea's thorny stems and drought tolerance make it an excellent security barrier when grown along fences or walls.
Jasmine vines, with their fragrant flowers, fill summer nights with enchanting scents. Training jasmine on structures near entries and walkways creates delightful sensory moments.
Cardinal climber pairs beautifully with other annual vines to create mixed displays with extended seasonal interest. The cardinal climber produces a summer-long display of brilliant red, star-shaped flowers that attract hummingbirds.
Hyacinth bean (Lablab purpureus) offers three-season interest with purple-tinged foliage, violet-purple flowers, and shiny purple seedpods. It attracts numerous pollinators, including bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds.
The trumpet vine thrives in poor soil, tolerates drought once established, and survives winter temperatures below -30°F (zone 4). It produces tubular orange or red flower clusters that serve as hummingbird magnets throughout summer.
Wisteria creates some of the most dramatic floral displays in the garden with its pendulous clusters of pea-like flowers. Reblooming selections like 'Aunt Dee' and 'Amethyst Falls' produce additional flower clusters throughout summer.
By combining these practices—ample sunlight, moderated watering, regular feeding, pruning, and supporting the vines—your garden should be filled with continuous blooms from late spring through the first frost, providing you with vibrant summer-long colour.
Vertical gardening, a popular lifestyle choice for home-and-garden enthusiasts, allows for Mandevilla and other summer-flowering vines to be grown effectively in pots on patios, decks, or porches, ensuring continuous blooming by managing light, water, and temperature needs. Maintaining warm and humid conditions, along with regular feeding and pruning, maximizes Mandevilla's ongoing blooming and extends the summer-long colour display in gardens.
