Ornamental · Apocynaceae
Common Periwinkle
Vinca minor
A tough little evergreen that covers dry shade in blue, as long as you keep those runners in line.
Partial shade
Every 7–14 days
USDA 4–9
3–6 in · 8–15 cm
Overview
Common periwinkle is that low, trailing evergreen you see turning bare ground under trees into a sheet of glossy green with blue spring flowers. It's part of the dogbane family, it comes back every year, and it keeps its leaves right through winter. Best of all, it roots along its own stems as it goes, so it does a lot of the spreading for you.
Got a spot where nothing wants to grow? This is often the answer. It's happy in dry shade, poor soil, and on slopes that wash out, and once it's settled in it barely notices a drought. Those flat mats smother weeds too, which is a big part of why it's been a go-to groundcover for so long.
Here's the catch, though. Periwinkle gets out of the garden easily and can move into woodlands, pushing out native wildflowers and young tree seedlings, so it's smart to keep it in a defined bed and away from wild areas. Every part of it is toxic too, which is good to know before you plant it somewhere pets or kids hang out.
Care
The short version: part to full shade, average well-drained soil, and a good deep soak only when it's really dry, plus a quick shear each spring to keep it neat and where you want it.
Light
Periwinkle likes part to full shade best, which is exactly why it looks so good under trees where the grass gives up. It'll handle full sun in cooler spots, but where summers get hot, that strong sun scorches the leaves unless the soil stays moist.
Water
While it's getting established, keep the soil moist but well drained, giving it a drink every 7 to 14 days in dry spells and a bit more often if it's in full sun. After that? It handles drought just fine. Water down at the base instead of over the top, since wet leaves are what invite fungal disease.
Soil
Average, well-drained soil works great, and it's not fussy, so clay, loam, sand, and dry rocky ground are all fine. It does grow best in moist, humusy soil with a pH of 6.0 to 7.5, which is nice and close to neutral.
Temperature
This one's tough in the cold, taking anything from -29°F to 95°F (-34°C to 35°C). It hangs onto its evergreen leaves through hard winters, and the only place it really struggles is where hot summers meet dry, sunny ground.
Humidity
Regular outdoor humidity is all it needs, so there's no number to chase here. Airflow matters way more than moisture in the air, because crowded, damp plantings are exactly where stem canker and leaf spot get going.
Feeding
Periwinkle hardly ever needs feeding and gets by on poor soil without complaining. If the growth ever looks a little weak, a light spring feeding of balanced all-purpose fertilizer is all you need.
Pruning
Give established plantings a shear or a mow in early spring to freshen things up and keep the spread in check. That same pass clears out any winter-damaged or diseased foliage before the new leaves come in.
Repotting
In the ground it never needs repotting, and even in a pot it hardly ever does. Just keep an eye out for roots circling the pot, growth slowing down, or roots poking out the drainage holes, since those are the signs it's rootbound and wants more room.
Size & spacing
Each plant stays low at 3 to 6 inches (8 to 15 cm) tall but spreads 6 to 18 inches (15 to 46 cm) wide and just keeps going. Space them out at that width and they'll knit into a solid mat in a season or two.
When to plant
Periwinkle is hardy from zones 4 through 9, and the easiest time to plant it is spring or early fall, while the soil's still cool and damp enough for the roots to grab hold. It flowers from spring into early summer, roughly May to June, and then keeps tossing out a few blooms 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
Most of the time, periwinkle trouble comes down to one of two things: it's growing too fast, or it's sitting too wet. Catch the early signs below and you can pull back a runaway patch or stop disease before it really spreads. Just match what you're seeing and act while it still helps.
Runners that root as they go and take over the bed
What's happening is invasive spread, which is really just the flip side of what makes periwinkle such a tough groundcover. The trailing stems root anywhere they touch soil, so a tidy patch creeps into lawns, beds, and nearby woods and smothers whatever's there. Dig and pull the runners that are escaping, edge the bed with a barrier, and toss every rooted piece in the trash instead of the compost, because one little scrap you miss can start the whole thing over.
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
Brown, dying patches with sunken cankers near the ground
This is fungal stem canker and dieback, the disease periwinkle runs into most, and it shows up where plantings are crowded, wet, and slow to drain. Look for sunken, wound-like spots on the stems near the soil and brown circular spots on the leaves in a fading patch. Thin out the affected growth so air can move through, water at the base instead of over the top, and rake away the infected bits so the spores have nowhere to hide over winter.
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
That's heat and drought stress, and it only shows up on plants baking in full sun with no moisture to fall back on, while the shaded, well-watered patches stay green. Water deeply during dry spells and put down some mulch to hold onto what moisture there is. And where summers run hot? Just give periwinkle the part to full shade it really wants.
Fix:
- Water deeply during dry periods
- Mulch to conserve soil moisture
- Site in partial to full shade where summers are hot
Toxicity
Here's the simple version: treat periwinkle as toxic from top to bottom. Every part has vinca alkaloids in it, the same kind of compounds used in chemo drugs, and chewing or swallowing any of it causes drooling, vomiting, and diarrhea, plus low blood pressure, tremors, and even seizures after a big dose. Keep it and its trimmings away from cats, dogs, horses, livestock, birds, and kids, and if anyone eats some, call your vet or poison control.
Toxic to
Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds · People
Cats Moderate
Even a little nibble of the leaves or stems can bring on drooling, vomiting, and diarrhea. If a cat eats a lot, the alkaloids can drop its blood pressure, set off tremors, and in bigger amounts cause seizures, so it's best kept out of reach.
Dogs Moderate
When a dog chews the foliage, you'll usually see drooling, vomiting, and diarrhea pretty fast. The real worry is a big mouthful, though, since that can lower blood pressure and trigger tremors or even seizures.
Horses Moderate
Grazing on periwinkle upsets a horse's gut with drooling, vomiting, and diarrhea, and being big is no protection here. Larger amounts can bring on low blood pressure, tremors, and seizures.
Rabbits Toxic
Those same vinca alkaloids make every part of the plant unsafe for a rabbit to eat. Expect drooling and a really upset stomach, plus 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 can lead to falling blood pressure, tremors, and seizures.
Birds Toxic
No part of periwinkle is safe for birds to peck at. Even small amounts can cause drooling and an upset stomach, and more than that can bring tremors and seizures.
People Caution
Nothing on this plant is meant to be eaten, so treat it as a hazard for curious kids. Swallowing the leaves or stems can cause drooling, vomiting, and diarrhea, and a large amount might drop blood pressure or bring on 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
There's more to periwinkle than the plain blue most people picture, from white and burgundy flowers to leaves splashed with gold. Here are the ones worth knowing by name.
Bowles (Bowles' Variety / 'La Grave')
It's a vigorous pick with larger, deep lilac-blue flowers, and it's one of the most popular periwinkle cultivars you'll come across.
'Atropurpurea' (sold as 'Burgundy')
This one skips the usual blue and gives you deep reddish-purple to burgundy flowers instead.
'Alba'
It's a white-flowered version of common periwinkle, perfect if you want that same trailing habit but without the blue.
'Illumination'
You'll grow this one mostly for its bright gold-and-green variegated leaves, with blue flowers to set them off.
'Jekyll's White'
It's a compact, white-flowered pick that stays a lot neater than the spreading types.
Vinca major (Bigleaf/Greater Periwinkle)
This is the bigger, pushier relative that mounds up to about 2 feet with larger 1 to 2 inch blue flowers, and it gets even more invasive in mild climates.
Vinca major 'Variegata'
It's a variegated bigleaf periwinkle edged in creamy white, and it's great for spilling over containers and hanging baskets.
How to propagate
Periwinkle pretty much multiplies itself, but if you want to hurry it along, you can use cuttings, division, or just the simple layering it already does on its own.
Stem cuttingsEasy
Late spring to summer · A few weeks to root; full groundcover in 1-2 seasons
Just take tip cuttings from non-flowering stems in late spring or summer and they'll root without much fuss at all. Give them a few weeks to catch, and they'll 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 during the growing season, you can lift a rooted clump or a rooted trailing stem and replant it wherever you want more. It settles in fast and knits into full cover within a year or two.
LayeringEasy
Growing season · Roots where stems touch soil within weeks
Honestly, periwinkle layers itself without any help from you during the growing season. Wherever a trailing stem lands on moist soil, it roots at the node within weeks, and you can just snip it off and move the new plant once it's taken.
Myths
Trailing groundcover periwinkle is the same plant as the annual bedding vinca.
They share the name vinca, but they're honestly two different plants. The trailing evergreen perennial groundcover is Vinca minor, while the upright annual you buy for flowerbeds is Madagascar periwinkle, Catharanthus roseus, which used to be called Vinca rosea. Both are in the dogbane family and both are toxic, but the annual actually carries even stronger vinca alkaloids like vincristine and vinblastine.