Since there are both perennial and annual flowering plants, if you don’t know Rio Dipladenia belongs to which category, it may intrigue you to learn about whether Rio Dipladenia is a perennial plant or an annual plant.
Also, before starting to grow Rio Dipladenia in your garden, another common query of yours can be wanting to learn about how to care for Rio Dipladenia. Therefore, read further to get to learn explanations given for both of your queries.
Is Rio Dipladenia Perennial Or Annual?
Rio Dipladenia is basically perennials that remain evergreen throughout the year in frost-free weather in the USDA regions 9 through 11. However, Rio Dipladenia now can be grown in colder regions like an annual plant in gardens or pots but the plants need to be shifted to safe places during winter.
Naturally, Rio Dipladenias are perennial tropical flowering plants that are evergreen and blossom during all most times throughout the year if they are cultivated or planted in the USDA hardiness regions 9 through 11 and get full sunlight.
Because the average lowest temperature of the USDA zones 9 through 11 is suitable for Rio Dipladenias to grow as perennials.
However, Rio Dipladenias can act like annuals too if they are being cultivated or planted outside in regions with colder weather and in the USDA region 8 where the temperature falls below 45° F.
Because Rio Dipladenia can’t withstand cold and might lose life unless they are properly overwintered in winter.
Rio Red Dipladenia:
Rio Dipladenias are perennial plants that will stay alive and green all year round if you grow them in frost-free weather and provide them with full sun.
But if you want to grow Rio Red Dipladenia in cold regions, know that they will behave as annuals.
Rio Pink Dipladenia:
Just like Rio Red Dipladenias, Rio Pink Dipladenias are perennial plants too and will thrive and blossom all season if they get warm weather. And they will turn into annual plants as well if planted in freezing weather.
Does Rio Dipladenia Come Back Every Year?
As long as you are cultivating or growing Rio Dipladenias in frost-free weather in the USDA regions 9 through 11, they are supposed to be come back every year.
Because while being grown up within these regions and climates, Rio Dipladenias behave like perennial flowering plants.
However, if you have planted Rio Dipladenias in the USDA region 8 and that too outside, they may not come back. As these regions are too cold for Rio Dipladenias to survive so they are likely to lose life unless you overwinter them indoors.
How To Care For Rio Dipladenia?
The caring for Rio Dipladenia should be started with planting the plant in well-drained soil. Rio Dipladenia should be provided with bright sunlight, frequent watering, occasional fertilizing, and a temperature between 65°-70° F at the night and must be overwintered indoors before colder seasons.
The proper caring directions/tips for Rio Dipladenia have been described here so that you can enjoy the display of showy and colorful Rio Dipladenia flowers all year round in your garden.
Plant In Well-Drained Soil:
The taking care of Rio Dipladenia begins with planting the plants in well-drained soil. If you want to grow in a flowering pot, fill the pot with well-drained soil with a potting mix that offers good insulation and keeps the soil moist, so that you don’t have to transplant the plants often.
And plant in big pots. And if you are growing Rio Dipladenia in garden, mix the garden soil with well-oozed potting soil.
Provide Full Sunlight:
Being a tropical plant, plant Rio Dipladenias in such areas in your garden where they can receive full bright sunlight. And if you are growing Rio Dipladenia in containers, keep the containers near a sunny window.
However, provide some shading when the climate is too hot and dry.
Frequently Water:
Rio Dipladenia requires frequent watering. Thence, you must water these plants quite often, especially when Rio Dipladenia’s are growing under the full sun during the hot summer season.
But do not overwater them and allow the soil to dry till 2-3 inches before every time you water. And apply a mulch layering for additional drainage.
Occasional Fertilizing:
Although Rio Dipladenia’s don’t need too much fertilizing but to care for them properly, you have to fertilize these plants occasionally.
You either can fertilize Rio Dipladenia’s by applying a slow-release fertilizer earlier in spring or you can apply a good liquid fertilizer once or twice every month, especially when it is growing season. But don’t fertilize in winter.
Groom For Encouraging Growth:
As a part of caring, you have to chop the tops at the leaves’ offtips to stimulate Rio Dipladenias for having bushier growth.
Late wintertime or earlier in the spring is the perfect time for grooming Rio Dipladenias as they start blooming from June to October.
But never do this when the plants are blooming.
Overwinter Them to Protect:
Rio Dipladenias are not cold tolerant, so to protect them and keep them alive for the next years, you must overwinter the plants by allowing them to stay in dormancy indoors before winter hits the plants.
Keep In A Warm Temperature:
Even at night, Rio Dipladenias need a warmer temperature, thence, try to keep the temperature around the plants between 65°-70° F at night.
Can Rio Dipladenia Survive Winter?
Rio Dipladenias are not likely to survive the harshness of cold winter. Especially, they will not survive in places where the temperature in winter drops below 45° F (7° C) because below 45° F temperature is considered too cold for Rio Dipladenias to withstand.
Therefore, if you have planted or kept your Rio Dipladenia plants outside, due to frost intolerance, they probably will lose life.
How To Overwinter Rio Dipladenia?
Knowing the proper way of overwintering is necessary because overwintering Rio Dipladenias is a must to do task if you want to keep them alive for the next years.
Thence, the accurate tips to overwinter Rio Dipladenias in both indoors and dormancy have been included below for your convenience.
Overwintering Indoors:
Tips for overwintering Rio Dipladenias indoor.
Transplant In A Pot:
If you have a growing Rio Dipladenia outside, first, dig up the plant by its roots and shake off extra soils from its root ball. Then plant it in a suitable pot using well-drained soil.
If your plant is already in a pot, just bring it inside.
Prune It:
Before setting up the Rio Dipladenia in home, trim the vines back by a few inches and remove dried leaves and branches.
Trim the plant using sterilized pruning shears and trim the plant about 8-10 inches. But do not over-prune the plant/plants because over-pruning will discourage the natural growth of the plant.
Take Care Of Pest Infestation:
If you notice any kind of slight pest infestation on the Rio Dipladenia plant, immediately give the plant a quick rinse using lukewarm water or clean the plant using rubbing alcohol.
You can use neem oil or any other pesticide to get rid of pests totally before bringing the plant home.
Keep In Sunny Place:
As Rio Dipladenias like sunlight a lot. So when you are overwintering a Rio Dipladenia in your home, make sure to keep it in a very sunny spot where it will get enough bright and full sunlight for maximum time in day.
Don’t overwater:
Do not overwater Rio Dipladenia when you are overwintering, rather water less or water only when the top 2-3 inches of soil seems dry.
Don’t Fertilize:
Do not apply fertilizer on Rio Dipladenia during overwintering time because your goal is to keep the plant alive indoors not growing them.
Overwintering In Dormancy:
Tips for overwintering Rio Dipladenias by allowing them to go dormant.
Prune The Plant:
After transplanting the Rios Dipladenia in another pot in the same way as overwintering indoors, prune back the plant hard and cut about 12 inches of its vines.
Keep Outside Until Becomes Dormant:
You should keep the plant outside as long as it goes to dormancy and the vines get cool, then move to a cool place like your home’s basement or garage.
Keep Temperature Above Freezing:
Make sure that the place you are keeping the plant has a temperature of around 50° F which is above freezing level.
Don’t Water Or Fertilize:
During dormancy, do not water or fertilize the Rio Dipladenia plant.
How Long Does Rio Dipladenia Last?
Rio Dipladenia blooms last for about two weeks or up to two weeks. Since they are all season long blooming flowering plants, so Rio Dipladenias will bloom most of the time in a year even if the blooms lose life after two weeks or so on.
Final Thought
Rio Dipladenias are mainly perennial flowing plants that thrive the best in frost-free weather, keep coming back every year, and bloom all season long. However, if Rio Dipladenias are cultivated/planted in colder regions, they behave like annuals and require to be