Re: Vinca Minor does well in the shade???
- To: s*@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU
- Subject: Re: [SG] Vinca Minor does well in the shade???
- From: M* T*
- Date: Thu, 20 Apr 2000 04:56:35 -0400
Yep, the variegated leaf varieties spread just as fast and well as
the plain green ones. The variegated V. major is a lovely plant -
most often sold as an "annual" for hanging baskets, but survives
winter quite well in my cold part of z. 7. In really harsh winters,
it will die back to the ground, but springs to life again and covers
ground just as fast the next season.
I also have a V. minor whose leaves are yellow variegated in spring -
fading to mostly green during summer and a V. major with a slight
gold variegation that seems tougher than the white var. variety.
Great groundcovers for light to deep shade in any soil I've got
(including the gravel driveway), but as Barbara says, you do NOT want
to put them near a bed full of tiny treasures as they will eat them
alive when your back is turned.
I whack my V. major back hard every year and sometimes more than
once..just keeps on coming. V. minor is a tiny bit less rampant as
it is smaller in all aspects...but only a tiny bit.
Marge Talt, zone 7 Maryland
mtalt@clark.net
Editor: Gardening in Shade
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> From: Barbara Weitemier <bweite@INNW.NET>
> Date: Wednesday, April 19, 2000 11:36 PM
>
> There is both a Vinca Minor AND a Vinca Major! The primary
difference is
> that the leaves of the Major are larger than those of the Minor. In
my
> garden, they both have periwinkle blue flowers, survive cold
winters, are
> spreaders, seem to grow in both sun and shade, can take water or do
without,
> and become a pest when they grow into areas with smaller plants and
cover
> them up. There are varieties with a purplish red flower, and maybe
even a
> white flower (?) Some varieties have variegated leaves---I don't
know if
> they spread as rampantly as the plain leaved varieties. It's a nice
plant
> for ground cover IF you keep it in bounds!
> Barbara in Walla Walla WA, z 5 or 6.
