Periwinkle

Periwinkle  (Vinca)

Periwinkle (Vinca) is a genus of ever green ground covers. They will grow anywhere and form a very 'neat' covering of the soil. Apart from the well-known green leaved / blue flowered species there are now also ones with frilly or variegated leaves and white or purple/red flowers. Periwinkle prefers a spot in normal soil and half shade. More sun is ok as long as the soil is moist enough. Also in the full shade Periwinkle will grow but flower less. You can cut away all the leaves in spring, which shows the flowers better and also re-juninates the plant. Especially Lesser Periwinkle is ideal to use under shrubs, trees and other difficult places such as mounds. Once filled out properly, Periwinkle forms a nice, maintenance free dense ground cover which also suppresses weeds very well.