Vinca Major: A Low Maintenance And Easy To Care Groundcover
Finding the perfect groundcover can be a bit of a struggle. One wrong choice can ruin the whole look of your yard. You need something that looks good, suppresses weeds, and doesn't need a ton of attention.
Vinca major, also known as bigleaf periwinkle, is one of the few groundcovers that do it all and more. For gardeners that need a cover solution, Vinca major is a perfect choice as it provides a thick, evergreen "carpet" with plenty of green foliage and gorgeous flowers that last all season!
This article will cover everything you need to make Vinca major your number one choice for groundcover. We'll review its growing conditions, unique features, how to take care of it for a beautiful display all year, and how it compares to other groundcovers. You'll also learn the answers to frequently asked questions that this plant is tough, beautiful, and easy to maintain.
Getting to Know Vinca Major
Vinca major is a strong and powerful plant, with unique characteristics such as evergreen, glossy, and stark green foliage. The plant foliage is sometimes variegated with pleasing, creamy white splashes. The plant foliage acts as a foil and backdrop to other flowering plants and will add increasing value and layers to your garden beds.
With a long bloom time, stretching from late spring to late fall, the plant charms with many five-petaled flowers, usually violet blue or lavender in shocking contrast to the evergreen glossy leaves. Vinca major plant is a great flowering plant for adding and keeping consistent and pleasing color to your landscape. The ability to thrive in many and contrasting lighting settings, such as full sunshine and full shade, enhances the appeal of the plant as a low maintenance flower.
Why Vinca Major is an Ideal Groundcover
Vinca major is groundcover for a reason. The plant actively spreads and grows. The plant spreads with long, long stems that root along the soil. This growth is so dense that it can suffocate weeds and fill in empty spaces and that dense growth is very efficient in masking weeds and for that reason, weeds and garden maintenance is less work.
An individual plant can cover between two and ten square feet and reach a height of 1 to 3 feet. Its rapid growth rate makes the plant ideal for beautification of the base of trees, steep landscapes or large empty ground spaces. The plant's climbing and trailing abilities also allow it to to soften hard landscapes and bed them into the rest of the garden.
Planting and Caring for Your Vinca
Vinca major also comes from the woodlands and riverbanks of Europe to the Middle East and for this reason it gravitates and grows very well with gardens in all of North America. If you wish to add this plant to your space, consider starting with a healthy nursery plant or cuttings from an established area with the plant.
Planting Instructions
Make sure to give each of these plants some space when planting. They grow and spread quickly so there is no need to crowd them from the beginning. They will fill in the space available on their own. Vinca major does well in moist, well-drained soils that have good organic matter in them. Adding some compost to your soil will give it a good start.
After planting, give the area a good drink. For the plants first growing season, keep the soil on the moist side to help the plants get their root systems established.
Ongoing Care and Maintenance
Vinca major is a low maintenance plant but a small amount of care will keep these plants looking their best.
- Pruning: Vinca major is fast growing so it does need to be pruned at least once a year. This helps to control its spread and to stop it from becoming too dominant and smothering any other plants. The best time to do this is in late winter, or early spring, before any new growth shows. Depending on how big of an area you have, you can use regular shears, or you can use a lawn mower set to a high setting.
- Encouraging Fuller Growth: If you want fuller and denser foliage on Vinca, you can pinch back the new shoots that grow on the tips. They will branch out, and with time, you will have a fuller and thicker foliage mat during the growing season.
- Watering: Vinca major is an established plant that is quite drought-tolerant. But, it will always look better after a rain, and will always look better after a rain, and will look better if you water it, even if it is not dried out over a prolonged dry time.
Vinca Major vs. Other Groundcovers
Vinca major is always a best choice, but how other groundcover options compare to Vinca is worth evaluating.
- Pachysandra (Japanese Spurge): Evergreen, shade-tolerant, and a good groundcover that is also like Vinca. Its foliage is why it is grown, even though it has not-that-showy flowers. This plant can spread and is also rhizomatous, but is not as aggressive as Vinca major.
- Ajuga (Bugleweed): This plant also has low dense spreading and can flower! They are a blue and purple flower that likes to grow in loose spikes during the spring. It's a good option if you have a smaller area, but will not be a good option if you want to cover a large area. This is because it stays quite a bit smaller than Vinca major, it is quite a bit shorter than Vinca major, and it forms a low dense spreading.
- English Ivy (Hedera helix): English ivy is a vigorous evergreen vine great for groundcover and very tough as well, thriving in deep shade. However, this plant is very invasive in most areas, as it climbs and can damage and kill trees and structures, so it must be kept in check, and that is why it is not as popular so it can be managed. An easier plant that keeps a similar style is Vinca major. For many, blending beautiful flowers, pleasant looking and evergreen foliage, and reasonable growth, Vinca major typically wins.
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FAQs
Here are a few answers to some popular questions regarding Vinca Major, which is a very well-liked ground cover.
Can Vinca major grow in shade?
Indeed, Vinca major is an excellent plant for areas that are in the shade. While it can withstand full sun, it really does best in partial shade to full shade, particularly in warmer areas. Because of this shade tolerance, it is often used as ground cover under trees.
Why is vinca called the flower of death?
This is an old European custom, planting Vinca on graves of the deceased, especially on children's graves. The plant was evergreen and symbolized eternal life. There is some older lore about it regarding sorcery and so it has a mystical reputation.
Does Vinca major come back every year?
Definitely. Vinca major is a perennial. Its ancient evergreen foliage provides color through winter, while each spring it creates new foliage and flowers. It comes back every spring and does not need replanting.
What is the difference between vinca minor and major?
Vinca minor (dwarf periwinkle) is shorter, mat and leaves form dense, upright clusters below six inches tall. Vinca major is more aggressive and raises growth spread as it matures forming big clusters, reaching over a foot.
What are common problems with vinca?
Vinca is usually fine. The occasional big issue is fungus (like case, leaf pet, or root rot), but that's mostly a problem with swampy soil. The main problem with holy is its rapid, stubborn growth, and it takes fussing to keep it under control.
What will grow in 100% shade?
For dense, one hundred percent shade, consider plants like Hostas, Ferns (like the Christmas Fern), Pachysandra, and some types of Hellebore. Vinca major does fine in deep shade, but it flowers a lot more when in brighter light.
