THEY WERE once known as dipladenia but have since been renamed mandevilla — just to confuse us plant people, perhaps.

What hasn't changed, though, is this plant's sheer beauty on an exotic scale and raises the question: "Why don't more of us grow it?"

Dipladenia/mandevilla slots neatly into my occasional peek at plants that deserve a wider audience though, that said, it seems they are starting to take off at St John's Garden Centre in Barnstaple.

Essentially, mandevilla is a frost-tender climber capable of topping 13ft-15ft if left to its own devices. Cut back brutally in spring, however, and it is possible to keep 'em shortish and treat like a tall house plant with a small trellis slid into the side of the pot.

Outside, in balmy North Devon, they can be allowed to scramble upwards to their hearts' content.

With its lustrous, mid-green leaves and 4in wide fabulous funnel flowers in rose-pink or a new red, both with yellow throats, the most likely species you'll see, splendens, looks as though it should exude lungfuls of scent. Sadly, no, but this shouldn't be a deterrent to treating yourself to one of these Brazilian beauties.

If you can't resist the perfume, best go for Mandevilla suaveolens, aka laxa, that's popularly known as the Chilean jasmine, despite hailing from Peru, Bolivia and Argentina. The heavily scented blooms are smaller at 3in across and in white or cream but this climber is just a little more cold-tolerant which earns it a couple of extra plus-points.

St John's greenhouse supervisor Gerry Luckie says of mandevilla: "I think they are lovely and have them growing at home. They are not so rampant as morning glory and you can train them as you want them, but they will happily climb up a trellis."

Her boss Nick Oliver described them as a very good indoor plant, especially ideal for a conservatory.

He advises keeping a close eye in case of aphid or mealy bug attack — both easily controllable — and care when pruning that the white sap doesn't get into your eye to cause irritation.

All we need now, maybe, is for the breeders to create a compact mandevilla that's sure to a winner all the way.

● Buy at: St John's for mandevilla splendens and Chiltern Seeds (01229 581137 or chilternseeds.co.uk) for the Chilean jasmine at £3.93 per packet.