It has been raining heavily here for over a week. The garden needed the rain, but it has made planting spring bulbs and dividing up plants impossible for the moment. But, luckily, it hasn’t stopped me from photographing flowers.
When I first came across this dipladenia plant in a local garden centre, I thought it was a mandevilla, which I’d seen in books and magazines.
It turns out that the two are very closely related but different. Mandevillas grow taller than dipladenia, and will climb. Dipladenias, on the other hand, are shorter and bushier and will trail unless you train them to be upright. (They can also be recognised by their smoother, more rounded leaves – the leaves of mandevilla are narrow and comparatively rough.)
By chance, the ‘Rio’ dipladenia appears to be a good choice to grow here because it is small enough to grow happily in a pot in the conservatory. (They’re supposed to be good in a hanging basket too.)
Usually I’m quick to ask questions at the garden centre if I’m unfamiliar with a plant. I like to know that I’ll be able to give it the right conditions. But this time, I’ll admit, I just looked at the label and thought, ‘Oh, that’s exciting!’ So far, taking a chance has worked out well because the plant is still small but covered in flowers. That makes me a happy photographer, with something to keep me busy on a rainy day!
Ann Mackay: Inspired by Nature 
That’s a gorgeous red.. wow!
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Thanks Liz! It really demands attention! 🙂
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Very demanding! 🙂
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Gorgeous beauty…so vibrant, Ann!!
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Thank you Indira – I’m really enjoying the flowers at the moment. 🙂
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What an exciting find. I know what you mean about the rain, hopefully you’ll have a dry day soon to enjoy some gardening.
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I had a few hours in the garden this afternoon and managed to get my daffodil bulbs planted. 🙂 Lots more work waiting to be done though…
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Waoo.. very beautiful Flower. 👍👌🤗
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Thank you Gitanjali! I’m glad you liked it! 🙂
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Beautiful red flower! I wonder if it will be in bloom in your conservatory around Christmas? It would be so nice to see then.
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It would be lovely if it was in flower then , but I reckon it will have finished. (The conservatory will be a bit too cool for it to flower – it’s used more as a little indoor garden than a sitting room and doesn’t get much heating.)
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That sounds like a really neat place to garden in bad weather.
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Only just got started with it, so a long way to go. Should be fun!
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Stunning flower – great use of time on a rainy day!
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Thanks! I’m lucky to have something to photograph when it’s too wet to go outside!
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I’ll bet your home and your conservatory are a delight to see.
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Hehe, the garden is still a bit of a building site in places, due to changes we’ve made since the conservatory was built. And we haven’t had the conservatory long, so I’m still getting used to growing things in there. But it’s very useful for tender plants in winter and there’s still plenty of empty space… 🙂
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Lots of potential for more then? ☺️
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Yep, and plenty of work to keep me going for a long time!
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That is some serious red, Ann. Lucky you to have such a vibrant flower to enjoy at home.
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It’s really cheering me up in this grey wet weather, Steve! 🙂
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