Re: Iris Compatible Plants
- To: Multiple recipients of list <i*@rt66.com>
- Subject: Re: Iris Compatible Plants
- From: B* S* <B*@hsc.edu>
- Date: Wed, 25 Feb 1998 08:41:34 -0700 (MST)
>Vinca comes in two varieties - major and minor. Vinca minor is the ground
>cover also known as periwinkle. I wouldn't expect it to be a good companion
>for iris because of its tendency to spread. Vinca major is a bedding plant
>that isn't very well known in the north. I saw a lot of it in Arizona last
>spring. I'm assuming Bill is referring to Vinca Major? I can definitely see
>it planted in spaces between iris.
The Vinca major I was talking about looks and acts just like Vinca minor,
but is about twice the size in all its parts. It is equally aggressive and
hard to eliminate. As Mark has pointed out the shrubby "Vinca" is
Catharanthus, an annual. I suspect that this is what you mean by "Vinca
major."
All this reminds me of trying to get "maple," "sycamore," and "plane tree"
straight with a British colleague! A good argument for using Latin names
where ever possible.
Funny little story: After we lived in England for a few months in 1993, my
son, then 6, expressed a worry: "When we get home, will we remember our own
language?"
Bill Shear
Department of Biology
Hampden-Sydney College
Hampden-Sydney VA 23943
(804)223-6172
FAX (804)223-6374
email<bills@hsc.edu>
