Vinca
Minor is an evergreen trailing ground cover that will add eye-appealing
color to those shady spots in your yard where nothing else grows. You may
be familiar with this pretty evergreen ground cover that blooms in spring, as it
also goes by the name as lesser periwinkle or creeping myrtle.
Vinca benefits the gardener who needs to cover the ground with eye-appealing green color. I grow vinca minor
under shrubs or on my shady slope. This
plant will cover bare spots very quickly by forming a dense mat.
My husband
likes it growing on the rocky slope because he no longer has to mow and I do
not have to weed the vinca minor garden as it chokes out weeds. I also grow
vinca up against my rock wall. In this
section of my yard, I planted daffodil bulbs, and in the spring when the flowers
bloom the purple blooms of vinca look beautiful at the base of the daffodils. Here
are my photographs of Vinca Minor that grow in my gardens.
Growing
tips for Vinca Minor
Plant
the vinca minor ground cover in the spring after the danger of frost has passed.
Purchase plants or bare roots. Soak the bare root in a pan of tepid water for one
hour before planting. The water is useful in hydrating the roots. Vinca minor will grow very well r in part
shade to full shade. A garden site where
the soil is moist and well-drained is preferred however mature plants will
tolerate some drought as long as they are not growing in direct sun. Plant the vinca close to your foundation, in
rock gardens, raised planters, and under shrubs and shade trees.
Clear
the garden site of grass, weeds. Loosen the soil to 8 inches and break up the
clumps so that the texture is fine. If
your soil is poor then mix equal parts compost with your soil. Wet the garden
site so that the soil is moist but not wet.
Dig holes that are the same size as the nursery container. For bare
roots, dig a hole that is deep and wide enough to accommodate the roots. To
allow for growth space eighteen inches apart.
Care
for the ground cover by watering in the morning. Fertilize in early spring
before the flowers bloom.
:
Tips & Warnings
- Good plant for erosion
control.
- Fully grown plants are six inches in height.
- Vinca grows in thick.
It will choke out plants and weeds.
- Vinca minor can become invasive. Divide and transplant in spring
- Vinca is
deer resistant.
- Grows well in
USDA growing zones 3 to 8
- Vinca is native to central and southern
Europe.
