Growing Colorful Annual Vinca

Annual Vinca is an easy to grow, colorful flower that is commonly available in garden centers in the spring. The flowers are about one and half inches across and come in many bright colors especially pink, red, white, purple, and orange. Many have contrasting colors in the center or "eye".

It is usually purchased in six packs in the spring from garden centers since it is slow to sprout from seeds. Vinca grows from 10 to18 inches tall and has multiple stems with five petal flowers at the tip. Spacing between plants is about 14 inches, and it is usually planted along the front of a flower bed. It blooms all summer but is killed by frost.

The plant can grow with a full day of direct sun or get by with only a couple hours. Vinca needs little care and is not particular about type of soil, though rich soil is best. Once a month light feedings of a balanced, liquid fertilizer is beneficial.

Vinca has few problems.

Few insects or diseases are a real problem with vinca. Slugs and snails occasionally feed on the leaves. Stem rot is also sometimes a problem. Diseased plants should be discarded. Larger pests such as rabbits and deer avoid eating vinca. All parts of the plant are poisonous.

Vinca does not need pruning and the flowers fall away after they fade, so no dead heading is necessary. This gives it a neat, compact, and classy appearance. Vinca is moderately drought tolerant but will need watering twice a week to look best.

The plant is often grown in medium to large containers. Landscapers use vinca in commercial landscapes with bark mulch between plants.

Vinca is also known as "periwinkle" or Madagascar periwinkle, from the island where it originated. Annual vinca or periwinkle has the scientific name Catharanthus roseus, unfortunately, it has the same common name as two other plants with different characteristics but with similar leaves and flowers, scientific names Vinca major and Vinca minor. Both are perennial vines, that bloom in early summer and are used as ground covers.

Varieties of Vinca

The 'Cooler' series of vinca performs well under cool conditions, making it a well-suited for the northwestern United States. The series 'Tropicana' and 'Pacifica' perform well in excessive heat and humidity, and are a favorite in the South.

The 'Victory' series has intense colors and a compact growing habit. The 'Heat-Wave' series and the cultivar 'Santa Fe' are more tolerant of warm, dry weather than other cultivars. Other common series of vinca include: 'Mediterranean', 'Morning Mist', 'Parasol', and 'Pretty Series'.