Dipladenia x hybrida Bella Compact Red

Dipladenia Bella Compact Red stands out with its slightly trailing compact habit and its long flowering period of vibrant red flowers, highlighted by glossy dark green foliage. Robust, heat-resistant, and water-efficient, this plant blooms for months. It is a star on sunny patios and balconies. The Bella series of dipladenias are generous plants, but sensitive to cold. They can easily survive winter behind a glass pane, in a bright conservatory, or a minimally 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, Brazil. Growing at high altitudes, these plants thrive in temperate climates, free from frost, in partial shade or filtered light in summer. They belong to the Apocynaceae family, just like periwinkles and oleanders. In the 1970s, Robert Lannes, a French horticulturist based in Tarn et Garonne, was the first to be interested in hybridising these plants with immense potential, among which Mandevilla sanderi stands out. Years of research and selection have resulted in particularly floriferous, more compact varieties with various colours. They are easy to grow by amateur gardeners.

The Bella series, derived in part from Mandevilla sanderi, produces resistant plants with a compact habit, distinguished by a range of very vibrant colours. The faded flowers are easily removed. These plants are ideal for pots.

Bella Compact Red develops short, woody, voluble stems at the base. The plant will reach an average size of 40cm (16in) in all directions, within a few weeks. Its beautiful flowers are composed of 5 large lobes that slightly taper and overlap like the blades of a propeller. Grouped in small clusters, they bloom continuously from May to the first frost. The evergreen foliage consists of entire, dark green leaves arranged in an opposite manner. The thick and leathery lamina, oval to elliptical in shape, measures 5 to 6cm (2in) long and has a shiny upper surface. This plant has large tuberous roots that contain starch and water, helping the plant to withstand drought fairly well.

Mandevilla is often used for decorating pergolas and trellises on patios and balconies, alone or in a mix of colours. With its small size, this heat-resistant variety works well in a standalone container, a hanging basket, or a balcony planter. Place it on a sunny patio or balcony. It can be paired, for example, with Euphorbia 'Diamond Frost', as well as other varieties of Bella series dipladenias, such as 'White' or 'Pink Star'. Cultivation in open ground, in lightened soil, is reserved for regions spared from frost.