'Bowles' Periwinkle Vine (Vinca)
Perennial
- Useful flowering perennial ground cover for shade.
- Enjoy large 1"blue flowers in spring!
- Glossy evergreen leaves look good year-round.
- Deer & rabbit resistant, overall low-maintenance.
- Zones 4-9, part sun/shade, 8" tall x 18" wide at maturity.
ZONE
EXPOSURE
HEIGHT
Description
Buying landscape plugs? Here is how much area they will cover:
- 6" spacing of 32 landscape plugs covers 6 sq feet
- 8" spacing covers 7.5 sq feet
- 10" spacing covers 11 sq feet
- 12" spacing covers 16 sq feet
Details
Common name: Periwinkle
Zone: 4 - 9
Sun exposure: Part-sun (4-6 hours sun), Shade (<4 hours sun)
Height x width: 6-8" x 18"
Flower color: Blue
Foliage color: Green
Season of Interest: Spring
Bloom time:Spring, summer
Features:Winter interest, suitable for slopes, ground covers, evergreens, dry soils, deer resistant, best for beginners
Uses: Alpine and rock, Container gardening, Edging, Erosion control or embankment, Ground cover, Massing, Naturalizing, Rain garden, Rock garden, Slopes, Small spaces, Under planting.
How to Grow
Light: Sun tolerant in cool northern zones. In hot summer areas, plant in dappled to deep shade.
Water: Best with regular water - weekly, or more often in extreme heat. Tolerates dry shade once plants are established.
Spacing: 12 to 18 inches apart. In two to three years, the Vinca will completely cover the planting bed. Plant 6" apart and by the end of the first year the bed will be completely covered.
Fertilizing: Very adaptable and can survive in any well-drained soil. Mulch in between the plants when first planting. This is important to not only retain water, but to also keep the weeds out. After the Vinca minor fill in the area, you will not need to mulch any more.
Winterizing: Add at least 4 inches of loose organic mulch, such as leaf compost in November to winterize your vinca. For greater protection from frost, and snow, completely cover the foliage in 5 to 6 inches of loose leaves.
Maintenance & Pruning: Stems root into the ground readily, and the new plants that form may be easily moved to a new location in spring or early fall. Mowing the patch low after blooming every couple of years will help to keep it thick and weed resistant.
Plant spacing is based on the ultimate width of the plants. This figure is normally given as a range; for example, 3-5’. If you live in a cold climate and/or want plants to fill in more quickly, plan to space at the shorter end of the range. If you live in a warm climate, are on a limited budget, or are willing to wait longer for plants to touch, use the higher end of the range. Using the larger number is recommended when calculating distance from a building or structure. There’s really no such thing as "maximum spacing": if you don’t want your plants to touch, you can space them as far apart as you’d like. All plant spacing is calculated on center, or in other words, the centers of the plants are spaced one half of their eventual width apart:
Unless you are planting in a straight line, as you might for hedges or edging, space your plants in a staggered or zig-zag pattern for a more interesting and naturalistic look:
Not sure just how many plants will fit in your garden? Our calculator gives you the exact amount of plants required for your space. Simply update the values and the calculator will re-calculate accordingly. Spacing information can be found in the 'How to Grow' tab on each plant's page.
I've ordered from Great Garden Plants before and I've never been disappointed! I requested my ship date for April 18th and they arrived April 19th!!!! I was able to plant them immediately and on a day when we're going to get a good rain. The plants were packaged safely and arrived healthy. Couldn't ask for a more perfect situation! I ordered periwinkle last year and decided I needed a couple more plants (too impatient to see it spread). The picture is from what I planted last year.
This is year three for my Periwinkle. There is finally a bit of new growth. My dream is to hide the soil (which used to be hard-to-mow, patchy grass). I planted 32 landscape plugs in zone 6b.
Great
I was very concerned about ordering plants online. I was thrilled to see how the plants were packaged when I received them. I planted them the next day and they are all growing and thriving!
Arrived in good condition and I hope they do very well. Love the ground cover they provide. They are very hardy
I was trying to find Vinca vine locally with no success. I have only ordered from northern Mi and decided to order for my new NC home. The plants arrived and were packed very well. I had no damage and so far all the Vinca’s are doing very well.
I had a great experience and would recommend this company.
So nice to order and receive good quality. Thank you
Excellent! The plants were well packed, and shipping was quick. Will consider additional purchases as I fill in my landscaping.
The vinca plugs arrived quickly and in perfect condition. I am very pleased.
'Bowles' Periwinkle Vine (Vinca)
I purchased ten of the Bowles Periwinkle in September 2023 along with a much larger order of Pachysandras.
I thought most of the Periwinkle died and filed a partial claim. In 2024, I thought they were all dead. But I managed to spot at least three of the ten which survived. I need to weed that area and hopefully, they will expand.
I should get some more and help them along.
We’re sorry you’re having trouble with your plants! Our fall guarantee covers plants received after September 1 until May 2025, but we cannot be responsible for anything outside of this time frame. Please send your order number and pictures of your plants to [email protected] so that our experts can provide some assistance. We look forward to helping! https://bit.ly/ggp-guarantee
Arrived in great shape, easy to plant, thriving
Great plants! All the plugs came very healthy. Excited for next spring!
This batch of plants looked pretty forlorn.
Hello! We’re sorry that you received plants that are not up to our standards. We try our best to provide excellent plants, but some factors, like shipping and handling, are outside our control. That’s why we have a 60-day guarantee on all of our orders. Please email your order number and pictures of your plants to [email protected] to start the claims process. We look forward to helping! https://bit.ly/ggp-guarantee
Loved working with your company. The live plants came when expected and were all healthy. I've planted them all in our backyard around old growth trees. They are still looking happy. Thank you so much! Laurie H, East Tennessee
'Bowles' Periwinkle Vine
I've had mixed success buying plants online so I bought these with hesitation. But I couldn't have been happier. I bought 2 sets of Bowles plugs and was pleasantly surprised at how healthy and substantial these plugs are. I'm ordering 5 more sets as I have a large area I'm trying to quickly fill in.
I've ordered over 100 "Bowles" periwinkle plants from you and they are always superbly packaged, arrive quickly and are super healthy. Thank you! See you in the Spring!
HIGHLY RECOMMEND.
Very unhappy. I bought several other plants from a local retail florist at the same time..... all planned at the same time. The ones I bought from you died. So disappointed. The other ones are thriving.
We've got you covered with our 60-day guarantee. We guarantee that you will be satisfied with your purchase and that your plants will arrive healthy, free of pests and diseases, and true to name. Have a problem with your plant? We make it easy to place a claim via email, automated claim process, or use the chat bubble. Simply send us a photo of your plant, your order number, and a brief description of the problem within 60 days of receipt of your order. While we do not accept returns, we are happy to issue refunds. Refunds are based on the plant cost and do not include shipping charges. Allow up to 2 weeks for processing refunds. After 60 days, we cannot be responsible for the plants in your care and will not cover problems with overwintering, animals, insects, diseases, improper planting, drought, flooding, poor drainage, etc. Our goal is that you are successful with our plants (and gardening in general), so our expert staff is here to assist you with any problem you may experience. Any plant shipped dormant in spring is guaranteed to break dormancy, even if it takes longer than 60 days.
Please note: our guarantee does not cover plants grown outside of their recommended growing zones. Verify your USDA zone by clicking 'Growing Zone' in the site navigation and entering your zip code before purchasing.
All good so far
We ordered some Periwinkle plants, and they arrived in very good shape. They have been in our garden for a month or so, and they have since doubled in size and look great.
Planted these around the pool. Needed a ground cover as its a tight area and hard to mow. So far so good. They arrived healthy and seem to be doing well. They don't seem to need much fussing. Very low maintenance.
I was very happy with my order of garden plugs. They were the best I have ever seen. Robust. Excellent size. The roots were auesome. They will establish quickly.
I am extremely pleased with my purchase of Bowles Periwinkle. The price was right, the ordering processes was simple, delivery was on time, and the plants are thriving.
The plants arrived healthy and ready to go. They’re thriving, and already branching out. We can’t wait to see them when they’ve all filled in.
Doing very well , no flowers yet
Area between my backyard fence (far back and 2 sides) and 8-12" monkey grass has assorted bushes. This vine is filling in quickly, won't have to keep pulling out weeds and looks much better than the 6 yards of mulch I keep having to put in every Spring.
So far so good! Planted 64 plugs under our front yard Maple Tree. They’ve been in the ground 30 days now. All 64 are doing ok. Some have had a little bloom. I spread a thin layer of compost and mulched the entire area with a layer of grass clippings for erosion control until the vinca takes hold. Can’t wait for the vinca to spread!
you did not fill my order.
Hello Bill! I'm sorry you never received your order. On our end it shows it was delivered on 4/13. If you did not receive your plants reach out to us at [email protected] and we'd be happy to set up a replacement order for you, or a refund. We look forward to hearing back from you!