Vinca minor, also known as Lesser Periwinkle, Dwarf Periwinkle and Creeping Myrtle, is a fast-growing, evergreen, mat-forming perennial with glossy dark green leaves and produces beautiful lavender-blue flowers throughout the warmer months. The long, trailing stems root at the nodes as they travel along the ground to form dense carpets of foliage. This perennial is excellent for suppressing weeds and looks lush in the garden all year round. It is one of the most popular and widely used ground covers!
Landscape uses
As mentioned above, Vinca minor is excellent as a ground cover, but it can also be planted on banks and slopes and used for underplanting shrubs. They would suit informal, cottage and traditional garden styles. In our Canterbury project, we used Vinca minor to underplant Heliotropes, Iris and Liriope and act as a groundcover in conjunction with Dichondra repens.
How to plant
Plant in full to part shade in average, well-drained soil. Vinca minor will tolerate almost full shade, but you will get more blooms if planted in full sun. You can expect it to grow to approx. 15cm high and spread up to 60cm. When planting, we recommend planting pots 20cm apart.
Care and maintenance
Vinca minor is a dream for the low-maintenance gardener. Once established, it’s drought and dry soil tolerant and has low water needs (ensure to water in when first planting). While it may attract aphids and rust – it has no serious pest or disease issues.
You can view more of our plant files on our blog here.
