If you are after a lush, dense, deep emerald carpet to blanket your garden, this Periwinkle, with her delicate
blueish-purple
blossoms (1-2 inch)
and dark green (1-inch by 1 1/2- to 3-inch) leaves will serve you wonderfully.
Gardener Tip
V. major 'Green' may appear to yellow if placed in too much sun without a drink.
If you are considering purchasing this plant in bare root form,
please read
about bare root plants
so you know what to expect.
General information about Vinca (Periwinkle, Myrtle):
An American classic commonly referred to as Periwinkle or Myrtle, Vinca, with her graceful,
cascading
foliage on slim
trailing
stems and delicate phlox-like
flowers,
is an irresistible garden groundcover.
Her blooms peek out in early spring and heavily cover the foliage, then sparsely persist throughout summer.
Evergreen
and utterly low-maintenance, her
lanceolate
foliage (from 1/4 to 3 1/2 inches long and 1/8- 3/16 inches broad) sits opposite one another and tends to be
low-growing
(though some varieties can grow up to 2 feet high).
It
spreads
far and wide as the long stems grow, touch the ground, and root where they touch.
Because of her
fast spreading
habit and ability to blanket an area quickly,
Vinca is useful at controlling
soil erosion
on
shady
slopes
and for covering for large blank spaces and difficult bare spots
under trees
and shrubs.
Subshrubs
with woody habits, both Vinca major and Vinca minor are highly sought after because they can completely carpet an area quickly and economically
with the added bonus of delicate
salverform
flowers willing to blossom in
shade
or
full sun.
Because she doesn’t climb, Vinca is a perfect alternative to ivy when you need a solid, resilient absolutely lovely, classic look.
Gardeners love the fact that it is tolerant of infrequent
foot traffic
and
deer.
Provided she's given frequent drinks, Vinca minor is perfect for difficult
poor soil,
surprising many gardeners with her adaptability,
but of course, she’ll blow your mind when planted in organic, moist, well-drained, loamy soil.
Things to Note
Compared to
Vinca minor,
Vinca major
is less cold hardy, more tolerant of heat, has broader, hairier leaves, larger flowers, and twice as many chromosomes.
Comparison of V. minor vs. V. major
Be aware that Vinca can be invasive, and should only be used in contained areas or spaces where she can have free run.
Only a thin layer (if any) of mulch should be used, because Vinca spreads by re-rooting where
runners touch the ground.
Interesting Facts
Vinca (from Latin vincire "to bind, fetter") is a genus of six species in the family Apocynaceae; it is native to Europe, northwest Africa and southwest Asia.
Vinca’s common name, shared with its related genus Catharanthus, is Periwinkle.
Gardener Tips
Gardeners often opt to use Vinca in flower boxes, urns and hanging baskets because of their elegant,
dangling
stems.
In a planter, consider pairing Vinca with spring bulbs, then summer annuals, followed by evergreen sprigs and berries for year-round curbside appeal.
Vinca is a lovely complement to
creeping phlox
and lavender in a rock garden.
Vinca loves to
spread, but not typically upward.
If planting Vinca on a
slope,
be sure to start at the highest point and then place plants evenly spaced down the slope.
This will ensure even, full coverage.
Be aware that Vinca can be invasive, and should only be used in contained areas or spaces where she can have free run.
See all Vinca.
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Ordered 50 bare root plants,received them on the day classy ground covers said they would be here.The plants were one half the price and better quality than any plants I could find around here.I will order from Classy Ground covers again.Wish I knew about them years ago. |
These vincas or Myrtle are the broad leaf variety and I'm using them in between the more common smaller leaf kind for variation.
They arrived healthy, on time and appear to be doing well. This is my second purchase from Classy Groundcovers and I'm very satisfied.. |
plants were wilted. I think the truck was too hot.
06/11/2015 ============= Classy Groundcovers comment:
Hi Cassandra,
Yes, they might have gotten cooked in the delivery van.
Have you planted them? If you have and they do not bounce back within... Read full review > |
The plants came as indicated (bare rooted) and they were in good condition.They were packed in a waxed cardboard box, had lots of newspaper surrounding them, and had damp sphagnum moss around the roots. I received 75 plants (although I only ordered 50) which... Read full review > |
The plants we ordered were absolutely fine and that is with the delivery having been delayed a day or two by the carrier. Very pleased. |
707690675642574
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