Ornamental · Apocynaceae
Common Periwinkle
Vinca minor
A hard-working evergreen that blankets dry shade in blue, and its runners take off the moment they touch soil.
Partial shade
Every 7–14 days
USDA 4–9
3–6 in · 8–15 cm
Overview
Common periwinkle turns the toughest bare ground under trees into a living sheet of glossy green lit up with blue spring flowers. It grows as a hardy perennial in the dogbane family, keeps its leaves right through winter, and travels on stems that root as they go, so a single plant sets off to cover real ground. Few groundcovers give back so much for so little.
This is the plant to grab for the spots that stump everyone else. It powers through dry shade, thrives in poor soil, and locks down slopes that keep washing out, and once it roots in it laughs off a drought. The dense mats it builds shut weeds out too, which is exactly why it has stayed a groundcover favorite for generations.
All that drive comes with one thing to respect. Periwinkle breaks out of the garden fast and pushes into woodlands, elbowing out native wildflowers and tree seedlings, so keep it inside a clear bed and away from wild ground. Every part is also toxic, worth knowing before it goes in where pets or children roam.
Care
The short version: hand it part to full shade and average well-drained soil, soak it deeply only when things dry out, and run a shear over it each spring to keep it sharp and contained.
Light
Periwinkle really hits its stride in part to full shade, which is why it takes off under trees where grass throws in the towel. It will run in full sun in cooler regions, but where summers turn hot, strong sun scorches the leaves unless the soil stays moist.
Water
Keep the soil moist but well drained while plants dig in, watering every 7 to 14 days through dry spells and a bit more in full sun. Once it establishes, it shrugs off drought without missing a beat. Aim water at the base rather than overhead, since wet leaves throw the door open to fungal disease.
Soil
Average, well-drained soil is all it wants, and it barrels through clay, loam, sand, and dry rocky ground alike. It really takes off in moist, humusy soil at a pH of 6.0 to 7.5, sitting right around neutral.
Temperature
This groundcover is built for the cold, powering through temperatures from -29°F to 95°F (-34°C to 35°C). It keeps its evergreen leaves through hard winters and only hits a wall where summer heat lands on dry, sunny ground.
Humidity
Everyday outdoor humidity is plenty, so skip the guesswork. Airflow does far more than moisture in the air, since crowded, damp plantings are exactly where stem canker and leaf spot dig in.
Feeding
Periwinkle barely asks to be fed and roars along on poor soil. If growth ever drags, a light spring feeding of balanced all-purpose fertilizer gets it moving again.
Pruning
Run a shear or a mow over established plantings in early spring to spark fresh growth and rein in the spread. That one pass also strips out any winter-damaged or diseased foliage before the new leaves push through.
Repotting
In the ground it never needs repotting, and even potted it rarely does. Just watch for roots circling the pot, growth slowing, or roots shooting out the drainage holes, the clear signs it has gone rootbound and wants more room to run.
Size & spacing
Each plant stays low at 3 to 6 inches (8 to 15 cm) tall but charges outward 6 to 18 inches (15 to 46 cm) wide and keeps reaching. Space them at that width and they lock into a solid mat within a season or two.
When to plant
Periwinkle powers along in zones 4 through 9, and spring or early fall is the time to get it in, while cool, moist soil lets the roots grab hold and take off. Flowers open from spring into early summer, around May to June, then keep popping up here and there through the warmer months.
Northern hemisphere
Southern hemisphere
Typical months for a temperate climate: start earlier in warm zones, later where spring frosts linger.
- Plant: Spring or early fall
- Harvest: Spring into early summer (May to June), with sporadic rebloom through summer and fall
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zones: 4–9
Temperature: down to -34°C
Troubleshooting
Almost every periwinkle hiccup lands in one of two camps: it grows too hard, or it stays too wet. Spot the early signs below and you can pull a runaway patch back into line or shut down disease before it moves. Match what you see, then jump on it while it counts.
Runners rooting on the move and taking the whole bed
This is invasive spread, the very engine that makes periwinkle such a powerhouse groundcover. Its trailing stems root the instant they touch soil, so a neat patch charges into lawns, beds, and nearby woods and buries whatever stands there. Dig and pull the escaping runners, edge the bed with a barrier, and bin every rooted scrap instead of composting it, because one piece you miss fires the whole invasion back up.
Fix:
- Pull, dig, or cut back escaping stems and remove rooted fragments
- Mow or shear to contain edges and install an edging barrier
- Dispose of clippings and pulled plants in the trash, not in yard waste or woods, to prevent spread
- Repeat removal over several seasons since regrowth is common
Browning patches with sunken cankers down at the soil
This is fungal stem canker and dieback, the disease periwinkle runs into most, and it storms in wherever plantings sit crowded, wet, and poorly drained. Hunt for sunken, wound-like lesions on the stems near the ground and brown circular spots on the leaves inside a fading patch. Thin the affected growth to get air moving, water at the base instead of over the top, and rake out the infected debris so spores have nowhere to overwinter.
Fix:
- Thin and remove affected stems and leaves to improve air circulation
- Avoid overhead irrigation and water at the base
- Rake out and discard infected debris
- Reduce overcrowding when replanting
Leaves scorching and yellowing in hot, dry sun
This is heat and drought stress, and it only strikes plants baking in full sun with no moisture to pull from, while shaded, well-watered patches stay green and going strong. Water deeply through dry spells and pile on mulch to lock in what moisture there is. Where summers run hot, hand periwinkle the part to full shade it really wants and watch it bounce back.
Fix:
- Water deeply during dry periods
- Mulch to conserve soil moisture
- Site in partial to full shade where summers are hot
Toxicity
For all its go-getter energy, periwinkle is toxic top to bottom. Every part packs vinca alkaloids, the same compounds behind chemotherapy drugs, and chewing or swallowing it sets off drooling, vomiting, and diarrhea, with low blood pressure, tremors, and even seizures after a big dose. Keep the plant and its trimmings clear of cats, dogs, horses, livestock, birds, and children, and call your vet or poison control the moment any is eaten.
Toxic to
Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds · People
Cats Moderate
Even a quick nibble of the leaves or stems kicks off drooling, vomiting, and diarrhea. Let a cat eat much and the alkaloids can drop blood pressure, set off tremors, and in quantity bring seizures, so keep it out of reach.
Dogs Moderate
Chewing the foliage fires off drooling, vomiting, and diarrhea fast. The real worry is a big mouthful, which can lower blood pressure and trigger tremors or even seizures.
Horses Moderate
Grazing on periwinkle churns up the gut with drooling, vomiting, and diarrhea, and a horse's size buys no protection. Bigger doses bring low blood pressure, tremors, and seizures.
Rabbits Toxic
The vinca alkaloids make every part of the plant off-limits for a rabbit. Expect drooling and a badly upset stomach, with tremors and collapse if it eats much, so keep it well out of reach.
Livestock Toxic
Cattle, goats, and sheep all react to the alkaloids in the leaves and stems with drooling, vomiting, and diarrhea. Heavier grazing drives blood pressure down and brings tremors and seizures.
Birds Toxic
No part of periwinkle is safe for a bird to peck. Even small amounts spark drooling and stomach upset, and more can bring tremors and seizures.
People Caution
Nothing on this plant is food, so treat it as a hazard for curious children. Swallowing leaves or stems can cause drooling, vomiting, and diarrhea, and a large amount may drop blood pressure or bring tremors.
Keep plants and trimmings away from pets and children; wash hands after handling and dispose of clippings where animals cannot reach them.
Helpline numbers
United States
ASPCA Animal Poison Control: (888) 426-4435 (fee applies)
Poison Control: (800) 222-1222
Canada
Poison Centres: 1-844-764-7669
Varieties
Periwinkle runs well past the plain blue everyone pictures, into white and burgundy flowers and leaves splashed with gold. Here are the selections worth chasing down by name.
Bowles (Bowles' Variety / 'La Grave')
A powerhouse selection loaded with larger, deep lilac-blue flowers, and one of the most popular periwinkle cultivars you can grab.
'Atropurpurea' (sold as 'Burgundy')
This one ditches the usual blue for knockout deep reddish-purple to burgundy flowers.
'Alba'
A crisp white-flowered form of common periwinkle that keeps the same trailing habit and drops the blue.
'Illumination'
Grown to show off its bright gold-and-green variegated leaves, kicked up further by blue flowers.
'Jekyll's White'
A compact, white-flowered pick that stays far neater than the spreading types.
Vinca major (Bigleaf/Greater Periwinkle)
A bigger, harder-charging relative that mounds to about 2 feet with larger 1 to 2 inch blue flowers, and it turns even more invasive in mild climates.
Vinca major 'Variegata'
A variegated bigleaf periwinkle rimmed in creamy white, perfect for spilling over containers and hanging baskets.
How to propagate
Periwinkle practically clones itself, and you can push it even faster with cuttings, division, or the easy layering the stems already pull off on their own.
Stem cuttingsEasy
Late spring to summer · A few weeks to root; full groundcover in 1-2 seasons
Snip tip cuttings off non-flowering stems in late spring or summer and they root fast with barely any effort. Give them a few weeks to grab hold, and they fill in to a complete groundcover within one to two seasons.
DivisionEasy
Throughout the growing season · Establishes quickly; complete cover in 1-2 years
Any time through the growing season, lift a rooted clump or a rooted trailing stem and drop it wherever you want more. It digs in fast and knits into full cover within a year or two.
LayeringEasy
Growing season · Roots where stems touch soil within weeks
Periwinkle layers itself with zero help from you all growing season long. Wherever a trailing stem lands on moist soil it fires roots down at the node within weeks, and you can slice it free and move the new plant once it has taken.
Myths
Trailing groundcover periwinkle is the same plant as the annual bedding vinca.
They share the name vinca, but they are two completely different plants. The trailing evergreen perennial groundcover is Vinca minor, while the upright annual sold for flowerbeds is Madagascar periwinkle, Catharanthus roseus, once tagged Vinca rosea. Both belong to the dogbane family and both are toxic, but the annual packs even stronger vinca alkaloids such as vincristine and vinblastine.