• Vinca minor
  • Vinca minor
  • Vinca minor
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Vinca minor

Lesser Periwinkle

£14.99
£14.99
Vinca minor spreads reliably across shady areas, offering glossy green foliage and a flush of pretty, star-like blooms in spring and beyond.
  • Reliable evergreen ground cover
  • Ideal for shade and difficult sites
  • Low-maintenance and long-flowering
Size

    • Aspect

      Partial Shade, Full Shade

    • Hardiness

      Very hardy

    • Flowers

      Spring and sporadically into Autumn

    • Soil type

      Well-drained, Loamy, Sandy, Chalky, Clay

    Vinca minor
    Vinca minor
    Vinca minor

    • Why we like this plant

      Perfect for low-maintenance gardeners, Vinca minor offers year-round foliage cover, spring colour, and reliable performance in shade. It's a dependable solution for erosion control and difficult planting areas.

    • About this plant

      Vinca minor, or Lesser Periwinkle, is a low-growing, trailing evergreen perennial ideal for suppressing weeds in shady or awkward garden spots. Its glossy, dark green leaves create a dense mat that remains attractive year-round, while its five-petalled, violet-blue flowers bloom freely from spring into summer, with occasional blooms later in the year. It’s especially useful under trees, along banks, or in woodland borders where other plants may struggle to thrive. This hardy and adaptable ground cover is also available in white and purple-flowered varieties.

    • Key features

      • Glossy evergreen foliage
      • Violet-blue flowers from spring to summer
      • Excellent weed-suppressing ground cover

    • Height and
      spread

      10–15cm high × 50–100cm spread

    • Growth
      habit

      Spreading, mat-forming

    • Moisture

      Moist but well-drained

    • Position in
      the Garden

      Ground cover for shade, underplanting, slopes

    Planting guide

    Plant in any well-drained soil in shade or partial sun. Space 30–45cm apart to allow for spreading. Avoid planting near delicate or slower-growing species, as it can spread vigorously.

    Care tips

    Cut back in early spring to encourage fresh, compact growth and prevent the plant from becoming too invasive. Tidy up any straggly growth during the year if needed. It thrives with little maintenance once established.

    Winter care

    Fully evergreen and very hardy. No special winter protection is needed. In late winter or early spring, remove any winter-worn stems to refresh the plant’s appearance.