Vinca minor Flower Power

Vinca minor 'Flower Power' is undoubtedly the most floriferous periwinkle of all. It is covered with small periwinkle blue star-shaped flowers from February-March to May, and then again in autumn.  This variety proves perfect for quickly covering difficult areas of the ground, including under conifers. It forms a very dense carpet of evergreen foliage that is attractive and shiny all year round. It is a hardy and fast-growing perennial that thrives in all exposures and in all soils, even dry in summer.

The small-flowered periwinkle is a creeping perennial with woody stems from the Apocynaceae family, native to central and southern Europe.  'Flower Power', as its name suggests, stands out for its extraordinary abundant flowering. This plant develops from a woody base, producing creeping or erect stems, forming a dense carpet 15 cm (6in) high and 1 m (3ft) or more wide. On contact with the ground, the stems emit vigorous roots that allow this plant to continue its lateral growth. The stems bear opposite, ovate, dark green, shiny leaves, and produce solitary terminal flowers throughout spring and again from September, composed of five square, asymmetrical petals in lilac-blue.

Periwinkles are useful, sometimes invasive ground covers. They will spread even in shady areas, where they may be slightly less floriferous. They eventually form thick interwoven mats, effectively covering the ground under trees or bushes, which they are not afraid of the roots of, in rockeries or along pathways. 'Flower Power' will easily naturalise in shade or partial shade, in the company of Acanthus mollis, Dichondra repens, or Ivy-leaved toadflax (Cymbalaria muralis), in a somewhat wild understory, even under a hedge of Thuja or cypress. 'Gloire de Marengo' ivy, with its fabulous cream-variegated gray-green leaves, will make a beautiful combination with Vinca minor, in regions where winters are not too harsh. In the sun, it will accompany silverweed (Cerastium tomentosum), Phyla nodiflora, Leptinella, cat's ear, wild thyme, and many other groundcovers...