One of the plants which add colour in the desert garden in the harsh summers in the Allamanda. Normally the flowers are a bright canary yellow with light green leaves, which bring a huge amount of cheer to the dull flowerless days. However, before I go on I must clarify the difference between the Allamanda and Mandeville vines. Both are twining shrubs and need to be pruned regularly but can live in a pot. The Mandeville however needs shade and does not really tolerate the Gulf summers and needs shade after April when temperatures start climbing. It also has darker green leaves and comes in a few different colours. The Allamanda normally is seen in the region with bright yellow flowers but has a pink variety which has large flowers sometimes up to six on one stalk. This is what we will discuss today. It is quite a show stopper and is named Cherries Jubilee and will brighten your garden and attract loads of pollinators.
The Allamanda is drought and salt tolerant and is ideal for the Gulf climate. It will flower through the year except in late December and January when nighttime temperatures drop below 18 degrees centigrade. Even the terrible summer temperatures of 48-50 degrees do not deter the yellow variety though the Cherries Jubilee need a little milder temperature than that. So for the Cherries Jubilee, it is the flowering time from February to June and then September to December. You might even get flowers in July if you can give it some shade. The Allamanda varieties are mostly pest tolerant but a few sprays of neem oil keep any rare pests at bay
Apparently, there are a few hybrid varieties of the Allamanda but I have yet to see any other in the region. These are available in the United States and even in India. The Allamanda is propagated by woody cuttings, though they take quite a while to be established and flower, almost up to six months. Try doing it in February-March in the Gulf and March April in other parts and you will achieve the most success. Here are some pictures of my plant which I grew from a cutting. It took more than 6 months to get here.
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