About this cultivar:
Vinca minor f. alba 'Gertrude Jekyll' is perhaps our favourite Vinca. This prostrate, evergreen plant forms a neat carpet of lance-shaped, dark green leaves - excellent for suppressing weeds in sun or partial shade. The wonderful, pure-white flowers - borne over a long period from April to September - are valuable for lightening dark areas. More compact than other varieties, it's perfect where space is limited.
- Position: Full sun, partial shade
- Soil: Almost any soil, grows well in Ballyrobert
- Flowers: April, May, June, July, August, September
- Other features: Grows well in Ballyrobert, Great Ground Cover
- Hardiness: Fully hardy, grows well in Ballyrobert
- Habit: Mat forming
- Foliage: Evergreen
- Height: 3 - 15 cm (0.1 - 0.5 ft)
- Spread: 15 - 90 cm (0.5 - 3 ft)
- Time to full growth: 2 to 5 years
- Plant type: Herbaceous Perennial
- Colour: Green, white
- Goes well with: --
About this genus:
Vinca (vin-ka) is a genus in the family Apocynaceae, native to Europe, northwest Africa and southwest Asia. The English name periwinkle is shared with the related genus Catharanthus. In India the plant is known as sadaphuli meaning "always flowering". It gets its botanical name from the Latin: vincire "to bind, fetter", possibly referring to the long, tough runners.
Vinca is a fantastic evergreen groundcover vine that is immensely popular in perennial gardens. Vinca grows well in partial sun to light shade, and almost any soil,
When Vinca isestablished the runners will root in wherever they touch the ground and the plant will spread. The variegated Vinca cultivars are much slower growing but really light up the shade garden with their yellow leaves and blue flowers.
In the garden, Vinca can be combined with any plant that is tall enough not to be smothered by it. Try pairing Vinca with other hardy perennials like Hellebore,Hosta, or Heuchera. Or simply let it grow by itself! Vinca can also be grown as a spillover plant next to stone walls or in containers.