The small-leaved periwinkle (Vinca minor) is considered a semi-shrub from a botanical point of view due to its woody shoots, but the low growth height of only 10 to 15 cm makes it an ideal ground cover. Not least because it spreads like a carpet at the desired location within a very short time.

Vinca minor is a pretty, low-maintenance ground cover

Choosing the right location for Vinca minor

The ideal location for Vinca minor meets the following criteria:

  • sunny to shady (periwinkle is relatively undemanding in this respect)
  • slightly damp
  • soil that is not too sandy (because it dries out more easily)

So that newly planted specimens can spread unhindered at the desired location, root weeds should first be removed from the soil as completely as possible. Possible locations in the garden are, for example:

  • The edge around the garden pond
  • natural stone walls
  • in shady planters

When planting planters with evergreens, you should keep the reduced winter hardiness and the increased watering effort in mind. It is not advisable to use it as a border planting for raised beds for growing vegetables, since Vinca minor, like Vinca major, is poisonous.

Calculate the correct number of plants for a (soon to be) closed carpet of plants

Some gardeners want to play it safe when planting ground cover plants and plant them as densely as possible. You can definitely save yourself this trouble with small periwinkles, as they multiply very quickly with offshoots anyway. With a planting distance of about 25 to 30 cm between the plants, you need about 5 to 8 plants (depending on the strength and number of shoots of the young plants) per square meter of the area to be covered.

Advantages of the groundcover Vinca minor over the larger-leaved Vinca major

The subspecies of Vinca minor not only get smaller leaves than Vinca major, they also lag behind Vinca major in terms of growth. In addition, they are also a little less rampant in growth, so that weakly growing neighboring plants cannot be overgrown by periwinkle so easily. In locations with very harsh winters, Vinca minor can sometimes hold up better at temperatures of up to - 25 degrees Celsius than Vinca major, since the latter is only hardy to around - 15 degrees Celsius.

tips

The small periwinkle is not only available with bluish-purple flowers, but also as a white flowering plant variety Vinca minor alba. Mix different types of plants for a varied carpet of flowers during the flowering period.

Category:

Herbs