White Vinca minor alba flowers

Vinca minor / major

Periwinkle as ground cover

The Eleagnus and Photinia shrubs near the entrance portal grow in half shade and were surrounded by naked or weedy soil. I decided to try Geranium macrorrhizum and Vinca minor there. The Vinca plants from the garden center took quite a while to establish themselves and some of them never really made it.

This spring I noticed Vinca major, a Mediterranean native, growing vigorously along the country lanes in full sun (!) and I planted quite a few of those in various spots in the garden to see where they will “take” and spread. Periwinkle stems take root where they touch the ground and Vinca is able to spread quickly, which makes it an easy and dense, evergreen groundcover. It is also extremely hardy.

Vinca has always been a “must-have” for me. I love it for its shiny dark green leaves and the bright Periwinkle-blue, purple or white “pinwheel” flowers, appearing between February and May and for some varieties again in late summer.


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