Vinca: periwinkles are a pretty way to get ground cover

摘要

Think of ground cover and periwinkles immediately spring to mind. Like many common plants, this genus is viewed by gardeners somewhere between being a vigorous carpetformer and a weed. Yet anyone who has grown the more decorative cultivars, and whohas enjoyed the variety of the flower colours, will be glad to plant more. When marketing the plants, instead of placing periwinkles among the dull ground-cover plants, they should be part of the range available for autumn planting in tubs and baskets. They should be given pride of place among spring displays early in the year because they offer pretty flowers during spring. There are half a dozen species of Vinca, and they are native to southern Europe. All are hardy or on the borderline - the pink, Catharanthus, which is tender, has been allocated its own genus. Vinca is part of the Apocynaceae family, which contains many tender plants. The family includes beauties such as oleander to which Vinca flowers bare a striking similarity, with five wedge-shaped petals forming a trumpet.