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Vinca major

greater periwinkle

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RHS Plant Shop from £12.99 Sold by 26 nurseries

  • Other common names greater periwinkle
    band plant

    creeping myrtle
    cut-finger
    flower of death
    grave myrtle
    ground myrtle
    large periwinkle
    quater
    sorcerer's violet

    see more

  • Family Apocynaceae

  • Genus Vinca can be evergreen subshrubs or herbaceous perennials, with simple, paired leaves and solitary, 5-lobed, salver-shaped flowers in the leaf axils

  • Details V. major is a vigorous evergreen sub-shrub forming a clump of erect stems bearing glossy ovate leaves and solitary violet-blue flowers 4cm wide in the leaf axils, with long rooting sterile stems making effective ground cover

  • Plant range Mediteranean

Characteristics

  • Foliage Evergreen

  • Habit Mat forming

  • Toxicity

  • Hardiness

    Hardiness ratings

    All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets

    • H1a - Under glass all year (>15C)
    • H1b - Can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
    • H1c - Can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
    • H2 - Tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
    • H3 - Hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
    • H4 - Hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
    • H5 - Hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
    • H6 - Hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
    • H7 - Hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)

    H6

Colour

Sunlight

  • Full Sun

  • Full Shade

  • Partial Shade

  • Aspect North-facing or East-facing or South-facing or West-facing

  • Exposure Sheltered or Exposed

Soil

  • Chalk

    Chalk

  • Clay

    Clay

  • Sand

    Sand

  • Loam

    Loam

  • MoistureWell-drained, Moist but well-drained, Poorly-drained

  • SoilChalk, Clay, Sand, Loam

  • pHAcid, Alkaline, Neutral

Size

  • Ultimate height 0.1-0.5 metres

  • Ultimate spread 1.5-2.5 metres

  • Time to ultimate height 2-5 years

How to grow

Cultivation Easy to grow in all but the driest soils. Flowers best in full sun but very useful for shady areas. Can be invasive

Propagation Propagate by division in spring or autumn and by semi-hardwood cuttings in summer

Suggested planting locations and garden types Ground Cover Underplanting of Roses and Shrubs City & Courtyard Gardens Coastal Cottage & Informal Garden

How to care

Pruning Pruning group 6

Pests Can get aphids

Diseases May be subject to a rust

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Vinca major

greater periwinkle

Buy from £12.99 at the RHS Plants Shop

Buy from £12.99 at the RHS Plants Shop

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