Question
I bought this beautiful vine recently and planted it, it is doing very well in the spot I chose and already starting to climb. When I looked up the dipladenia on the web to get more information about it since the tag didn't say much, I think I read that it cant be left outside during the winter.  I live in south eastern Ontario Canada, zone 5b.  Is this correct, I must dig it up every year!

Answer
Hi Elizabeth,
Thanx for your question.  This plant is now known as Mandevillea and is a very popular summer patio plant in the U.S. It is usually treated as an annual in all but the Deep South as this plant is not hardy in zones that are not frost free.  In Ontario, you can keep it as a potted plant as I do in my Kansas City garden, and bring it indoors for the winter.  Keep it in a sunny window with an eastern or southern exposure when keeping it indoors.  In the winter, water just enough to keep it from drying out and do not feed it.  It will be in a semi-dormant state and it will drop leaves and look a little forlorn.  Once your frost-free period has returned, reintroduce the plant to the outdoors by placing in a shady spot for 10 days and then full sun.  Water every day and give it a feeding of 12-12-12 fertilizer or fish emulsion according to directions on the fertilizer package.  I hope this helps.
Tom