Mandevilla sanderi Diamantina Tourmaline Pink

Dipladenia or Mandevilla sanderi Diamantina Tourmaline 'Pink' is a very compact bushy plant that does not exceed 50 cm high and does not require support. This new variety offers giant, 10 to 11 cm diameter flowers in pale pink with an orange centre. They bloom on dark foliage from May until the first frost. This plant flowers generously but is sensitive to cold, it will easily survive the winter behind a bay window, in a bright conservatory, or a lightly heated greenhouse.

Mandevillas were named in honour of diplomat and gardener Henry Mandeville. They are generally climbing, fast-growing plants, mostly native to the tropical forests of Serra de Orgaos, near Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. These tropical plants grow at high altitudes and 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 various colours, easy to grow for amateur gardeners.

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

Tourmaline 'Pink' stands out with particularly large flowers, but has the bushy and compact habit that characterises plants in this series. Its short, woody, twining stems can manage without support. It will rapidly reach an average size of 30 to 50 cm in all directions. Its beautiful, large, 10 to 11 cm diameter flowers, consist of 5 large pale pink lobes that overlap like the blades of a propeller. They are grouped in small clusters and bloom continuously from May until the frost. The evergreen and leathery foliage consists of small dark green leaves arranged in an opposite pattern. The thick and leathery lamina is oval to elliptical with a shiny upper surface. This plant has fine roots and large tuberous roots, storage organs that contain starch and water, allowing the plant to withstand drought quite well.

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