How to Grow and Care for Periwinkles

Greater periwinkle (Vinca major) is an evergreen shrub native to the Western Mediterranean. It features lavender-colored flowers, and thick, lustrous deep green foliage. To avoid garden invasion and also for ornamental purposes, it's best to grow this plant in hanging pots or in window containers.

Common periwinkle (Vinca minor) is a trailing evergreen subshrub that forms large, dense colonies. Because of this quality, common periwinkle is commonly used in landscaping as a groundcover. It is a mildly toxic plant, but due to its pungent taste, it rarely gets ingested in amounts significant enough to cause toxic effects.

Intermediate periwinkle, or Vinca difformis, is a flowering evergreen perennial. It produces pale bluish to white flowers and is frequently cultivated for use as a ground cover. However, this plant spreads easily and can become invasive.

Greater periwinkle (Vinca major subsp. major) is an evergreen perennial that will grow to 20 cm tall and 91 cm wide. It blooms from spring through summer with bluish-purple, star-shaped flowers. Prefers dappled sunlight and high-organic soil. It forms dense mats and makes an ideal ground cover, especially in shady areas. Spreads rapidly and is considered invasive in some areas.

Herbaceous periwinkle tends to grow in grassland plains far away from trees and water sources, but is also commonly cultivated in temperate regions in gardens, notably featuring in rock gardens. The common name Herbaceous periwinkle was given due to the colour of its blooms, sporting a distinctive shade of periwinkle.