Vinca minor

Scientific name: Vinca minor

Family: APOCYNACEAE

Common names: “Lesser periwinkle” “Vinca”

Plant Type: Evergreen groundcover/subshrub

Conditions:

Zone: 4-9

Light: Full sun – deep shade , best flowering in sun

Exposure: Exposed or sheltered

Soil: Average, grows best with some humus

Moisture: Moist well drained, likes more moisture but also drought tolerant

Aesthetic: 

Plant Size: H 6-12″ W spreading groundcover, mounds and trails

Leaf and Stem shape: Woody based stems with dark green, ovate leaves

Flower: Violet-blue flowers

Pruning: None

Maintenance: Shear low every 2nd year, can be done with a lawn mower, or left to grow wild

Landscape use: groundcover, under trees and shrubs, tolerates dry shade

Propagate: Easily from layering, cuttings and division, roots at stem nodes

Pests & Disease: None in Victoria

*Deer resistant

Comments: Not recommended to plant as it grows too aggressively, still some people like it and it can be contained, but will out-compete most other plants, a less vigorous variety might be the better option

Cultivars: ~AGM winners : V. m. ‘Atropurpurea’ , V. m. ‘Argenteovariegata’ , V. m. ‘La Grave’  V. m. ‘Illumination’ , V. m. ‘Ralph Shugert’ , V. m. ‘Azurea Flore Pleno’ 

Vinca major – Bigger plant with bigger flowers, taller at 18″, but it prefers Zones: 7-11