Easy Groundcover: Vinca Major

Vinca Major Vine

The Vinca Major vine is also known as the periwinkle vine. Gardeners enjoy its evergreen foliage and the attractive, five-petaled purple or lavender flowers; The perennial plants bloom from spring to autumn, making the Vinca Major an excellent choice for year-long color. It is one of the most colorful ground cover vines that can tolerate sun and shade. The foliage comes in both glossy green and a variegated style with off-white and green leaves.

Use Vinca Major as a beautiful groundcover

The plant is primarily used as a groundcover because it spreads quickly and sends out new shoots along the ground. These shoots root into the soil on their own or stretch over rocks and other obstructions. One plant can cover from 2 to 10 square feet and climb up to three feet high. That makes it highly useful as quick coverage for bare ground, trees, and near walls or fences. Its rapid growth necessitates pruning or cutting back at least once per year.

The Vinca Major grows naturally in woodlands and riverbanks from Europe to Africa to the Western side of the Middle East. It was brought to the New World long ago and now enjoys a popular place in the gardens of many North American homes. It will still grow wild if you leave it alone but can be trained up trellises or wires or left to create a blanket over the ground or rocks.

If you wish to include Vinca Major in your garden or yard, buy healthy plants or take cuttings from a neighbor. Do not crowd the plants when you put them in the soil because they will grow quite quickly. Vinca Major perennial vines enjoy moist soil with plenty of organic material for optimum growth and flowering. As the individual plants grow, pinch back some of the new shoots to encourage thicker, bushier growth.

Buy your Vinca Periwinkle at TN Nursery

Periwinkle - Vinca minor - TN Nursery

Periwinkle Plant

Periwinkle is a perennial vine and a low-growing, evergreen ground cover plant with glossy green leaves and small, violet-blue flowers. It is often used to fill in garden spaces and control erosion. Incorporating it into landscaping offers many benefits that add beauty and functionality to outdoor spaces. This versatile ground cover brings lushness, adaptability, erosion control, low-maintenance care, and soft elegance to garden settings. Periwinkle - Vinca minor is famous for its blue flowers, and this flower is an excellent groundcover. Unlike some groundcovers, it proliferates without becoming invasive. Because of this, many home gardeners and landscape designers like to add this cheery flower to their landscape. Periwinkle Plant (Vinca Minor) Has Many Names It initially originated in central and southern Europe. Classified as a part of the dogbane family, this flower quickly spread to the Baltic States, the Netherlands, and the Caucasus. Today, it is grown around the world as a groundcover. Sometimes, people may refer to this groundcover by other common names, like creeping myrtle or myrtle. Periwinkle Plant Helps With Soil Erosion  Periwinkle Plant is truly a gardener’s delight. Its strong roots help to control soil erosion, and its trailing vines are full of glossy leaves. Because deer don’t usually like it, you don’t have to worry about it disappearing. Plus, it can handle some foot traffic, so it doesn’t get trampled easily. Because it is considered an evergreen, it will keep its glossy, green leaves in the winter. After you plant it, the vines will gradually spread over neighboring areas. While it mainly grows along the ground, this vine can sometimes get up to 16 inches tall. Unlike other vines, it never climbs or twines around trees or walls. Instead, you can enjoy having it as a permanent ground cover in your garden. The Periwinkle Plant Flowers Are Sure to Impress The most notable part of this vine is its flowers. They are typically created between early spring and the middle of summer. Sometimes, you will still notice a few flowers in autumn. All of the flowers have a violet-purple shade and a five-lobed corolla. On some species, you can even find white and pale purple flowers. Periwinkle Is A Drought Tolerant Groundcover With Periwinkle Plant, you will have an evergreen mat in your garden beds throughout the year. The flowers remain for many of spring and summer so that you can appreciate bright blue pops. Thanks to its rapid growth, you don’t have to wait long to see this lovely vine fill empty areas in your yard.

Vinca Minor - TN Nursery

Vinca Minor

The Vinca Minor has lush and evergreen foliage and delicate blue or white flowers, making it a popular choice for various outdoor spaces. While its benefits extend beyond its use in herbalism, let's explore its landscaping advantages. Vinca Minor, also called creeping myrtle, lesser periwinkle, or just myrtle, is a perennial beauty that instills a fetching charm in gardens, landscapes, and even potted plants. Vinca Minor Has Deep Emerald Green Foliage The leaves are a deep shade of rich emerald green, and most have a glossy, polished, or shiny appearance. They are typically oval-shaped with smooth edges, a thick texture, and prominent veins. Some species are varied. The plants can be erect or trailing. Leaves occur in pairs along the height of the stem, making the plant look lush and thick. The plant is graced with trailing stems and adorned with clusters of small blooms in white or in a pale, pastel purple-blue color that many people associate with serenity. Vinca Minor is active year-round.  Delicate little flowers appear early in spring and continue to bloom throughout spring and summer. Against a strikingly verdant backdrop provided by the rich green leaves, the clusters of blossoms are displayed to the best advantage. Creeping myrtles may look delicate. Nevertheless, they are hardy plants that tolerate harsh conditions gracefully. As perennial evergreen plants, they remain bright green throughout the winter. The Ground Cover Characteristics Of Vinca Minor This plant reaches only six inches when upright. However, the roots continue to grow underground every year, eventually becoming quite long. Although this plant has a medium growth rate, the roots can form a trailing mat, prostrate mat, or mounding mat. The stems like to get tangled up with each other, and as they do, they produce a thick mat of greenery that thrives all year. Vinca Minor Looks Great In Hanging Baskets Vinca Minor works well as trailers in large hanging baskets and tall pots. They provide superior coverage for hilly areas and can even be used in landscaping designs where you want subtle pops of color added to your existing ground-cover greenery. They have other uses as well. They have long been used in folk medicine to treat heart, nervous system, and GI tract conditions. The herb is thought to improve cognition and brain health.

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