Dipladenia (Mandevilla) Flowers

This annual sprawling shrub is also known as Red Riding Hood or Brazilian Jasmine 'Red Riding Hood'. The genus mandevilla was once named dipladenia. Nurseries have recently started calling mandevilla 'Red Riding Hood', Dipladenia or Brazilian Jasmine in order to differentiate it from it's more vining cousins. It is a sport from a hybrid of M. xamabilis and M. sanderi. A sport is a plant that is significantly different from its parents due to mutation rather than hybridization due to cross-pollination. Rather than a vine, this is a sprawling shrub that can be trained on a trellis, but also looks and does fine as a shrub. The dark green, glossy leaves are only about 2 inches long and are ovate or elliptic in shape. Dipladenia will bloom whenever the temperature is above 50 degrees fahrenheit at night with clusters of 2-inch-wide very deep pink to red blossoms with a deep yellow throat. The flowers are shaped like a typical mandevilla except fort the petals being somewhat curved backward at their tips.

This flowering plant is perfectly suited for containers, hanging baskets, window boxes and landscapes. Allow soil surface to dry slightly between thorough waterings. Fertilize regularly. Reference.