I went to a small local shop that sold plants and flowers. I wouldn't call it a nursery, it was literally a woman's home. I bought a plant from her that she called a mandevilla. I took it home and planted it next to my arbor, so the vines would grow up. But as soon as I saw other mandevillas in the real nurseries, I began to realize it wasn't what she said it was. I planted it last year, and it grew up the arbor post, it's a very fast growing vine. It's leaves and stems are very stiff and hard. The leaves are about 3 to 4 inches long, and are shaped like an enlongated heart. It never bloomed last year. But this year, it came back, after all the stems died over the winter. It's grown even more, covering 1/4 of the arbor, and this morning, it bloomed! The blooms are trumpet shaped, almost 4 inches across, a light purple color. The center is white and yellow. The petals are very thick, not delicate at all. I think this flower could withstand hurricane winds. I did a google image search to try and find it, but I couldn't. It's close to the purple trumpet vine, but it's not the same. The purple trumpet has leaves that are completely different, and the flower isn't variegated purple, it's just a light solid purple on the petals. I would love to know what this plant is, and would appreciate any help.
