Periwinkle as ground cover
Vinca has always been a “must-have” for me. I love it for its shiny dark green leaves and the bright blue, purple, or white “pinwheel” flowers, appearing between February and May and for some varieties again in late summer.
In the front garden near the entrance portal are some Eleagnus and Photinia shrubs growing in half shade, surrounded by naked or weedy soil. I decided to try Vinca minor there. However, the Vinca plants from the garden center, planted in 2023, took a long time to establish themselves and some of them have never really made it.
In the spring of 2024 I noticed Vinca major, a Mediterranean native, growing vigorously along the country lanes in full sun (!). I gathered and planted a few of those in various spots in the garden to see where they would “take” and spread. Periwinkle stems take root where they touch the ground and Vinca major is able to spread quickly, which makes it an easy and dense, evergreen groundcover. It is also extremely hardy.
Vinca major can be invasive
One year later I can now say that Vinca major can indeed be very invasive. Where I had planted it in well-fed soil near the yew hedge it has already spread by 2 meters in one year, sending out long shoots all around it and making several new plants, each with very strong roots. That’s a bit too much for that part of the garden so I dug it up and hope to have gotten all of them out.
Another Vinca major plant near the plum tree grows in less good soil and is not quite as vigourous. With this one I will cut off shoots as they grow to see if I can maintain it as a pretty little shrub.
In the front garden the Vinca plants are not growing quite as strongly either. There they can’t really go anywhere since this part of the garden is bordered by walls on three sides and the neighbor’s shady forest garden on the fourth. It will be a while before they grow over there since the light is in the other direction.
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