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Vinca Minor

harmonyharmony Posts: 403
in Plants
I'm wanting to plant some Vinca Minor in a dappled shady area for ground cover,  im thinking of buying 9cm plants and I'm wondering how long they will take to get going. Part of the area is bare soil (which I hate) so if I put some bark chippings down would it hinder the vinca growth.
Like everyone else I'm going to miss this forum I am sad to see it go. Is it going to completely  disappear  or will we still be able to access the forums old content but not be able to use it to post. 

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  • ViewAheadViewAhead Posts: 866
    edited 17 March
    Bark chippings shouldn't hinder it (as long as these aren't too deep).  It seems to take a little while to get started, but once it gets going it will cover them nicely. 

    As far as we know, the threads will disappear ... very sadly. 😕
  • philippasmith2philippasmith2 Posts: 3,742
    Vinca minor can be a rapid spreader when happy.  The variegated one gives a decent ground cover but keep an eye on it.
    Once planted, make sure you allow it to settle in - if happy it will deal with Bark chippings well enough if the ground remains dampish underneath.
  • PlantmindedPlantminded Posts: 3,580
    I planted some last year @harmony, similar size then. They seemed to remain undecided at first but are expanding well now!


    Wirral. Sandy, free draining soil.


  • arneilos0gr3Abarneilos0gr3Ab Posts: 4
    I’m trying to persuade my Daughter to remove the vinca , it is choking everything and has tiny flowers , so not that pretty !
  • PlantmindedPlantminded Posts: 3,580
    It's good for difficult places if well confined though. I'm using it to bind the soil on a bank where the birds have been taking delight in redistributing the soil onto the steps below😊.
    Wirral. Sandy, free draining soil.


  • PintailPintail Posts: 4
    I have some white flowered vinca minor in my North facing border, and it hasn't really spread very far in the 2.5 years it's been there. But it has formed a nice dense mat,  and it's been the absolute star of the garden for the past few weeks. The bright white starry flowers really brighten up the dark side of the garden, so if you do plant it, I'd recommend the white variety. 
  • februarysgirlfebruarysgirl Posts: 835
    I've decided to grow vinca minor atropurpurea in planters around my raised beds so that it cascades and softens the edges. I've just pruned this so it doesn't look very impressive at the moment and in real life, the flowers are much more of a deeper and darker plum colour.


  • harmonyharmony Posts: 403
    Thanks
    The area is at the top of the garden which is separated from my main borders with a gravel path.
    It has  Rhododendron, Lilac, Spirea, and a Sambucas so I think Vinca would be ideal and won't affect these shrubs. Just need to decide the colour or maybe get a mix. Thankyou all x
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