It's been a few years since I did vinca. One to 1.5 inch flowers above dark green foliage that stands up to a hot summer sun and continues to look good. It will reseed here (Arkansas) but because it needs warm conditions for germination it's way late to come up. They struggle until the day temps reach 85 with nights at 60. I always liked the white or very light pink. The flowers never cover the foliage and the dark red doesn't make a good contrast to the foliage in my opinion.

Tom, they like it HOT and dry, so their performance will depend on what kind of summer you end up having. Try some of the newer F1 hybrids like Cora or Titan - they are less prone to disease, and have performed very well in Michigan trials.

I planted vinca last year-white with a red eye. It was in partial sun. We had a very dry summer and I didn't water them much and they looked great. I plan to plant more this year.

In my experience, Vinca has been outstanding!

As mentioned, they like it hot and dry (not bone dry - just not too moist). The sunnier the better. If they're happy, they lushy fill out and pump out the flowers. Foliage is a gorgeous shiny green, and it never misses a beat - it doesn't scortch in the hot sun and only wilts if it's really dry - and neither do the flowers, they don't fade out in the hot sun.

Summers in my area vary - sometimes HOT and humid (90+ for weeks on end), other summers it's warm (75-80s), and Vinca performs well regardless. Again - the key is location, location, location.

If you do decide on Vinca, there are a few tricks that make the difference regarding the seedlings/transplants. First, after those seeds sprout, don't allow the growing medium to dry out, but don't keep it too moist, either - Vinca are very prone to rotting.

More importantly, regarding the transplants - *do not* plant until the soil is warmed and not too wet. Again - very prone to rotting, and if planted in cooler, moist soil they're toast (they rot out at the soil line). The better nurseries around here don't even put out Vinca until at least the middle of May, it's not an annual you can jump-start the season with.

My favorite cultivar is "Blue Pearl" (which is not longer available - BAH!), and the pure white with the red eye. "Peppermint" was one of the four annuals I grew on my very first attempt at seed growing many years ago, and so it holds a special place for me (and it's such a darn "happy" flower).

Love em! They always look fantastic in a garden, following the advice above. What I like about them is that nothing bothers them and they are flower powerhouses for a long time. Hot is what they like and hot is what they give!

I have four flats growing right now from seed. Last summer I had awesome luck with them. Compact bushy plants smothered in blooms from july until frost. In our northern climate they start out slow and the first day of heat in the summer the really grow and fill out. I grew mine in a south facing raised bed along a brick face to a building. My guess is on a 80 degree day the reflected heat off the brick and the asphault would be close to the mid 90's

They did great. When they say impatiens for the sun they are telling the truth.

Here is some pics of mine I have growing right now.

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The pen is pointing at the first bud.

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boxcar ... your little seedlings are picture-perfect! are they growing in a greenhouse or ...

i know it is probably too late for this year, but when did you sow your seeds? ...

thinking ahead to next year ... maybe wintersowing(?)

thanks, phyl

Phyl - actually, no, it's not too late to start seeds indoors at all!!

Like I mentioned, up here it is not advised to plant Vinca out early. Middle of May at the earliest, and that's weather depending, the *soil* has to be warm.

I'm starting my seed this weekend, that's plenty of time, they really only need 6-8 weeks in the house, in my experience. Once they germinate, they grow easily and at a good pace.

Get some seeds and give it 'em a try!

My vinca are growing under lights. I custom made a set up with shelves and lights. I will be moving them to my pop-up greenhouse tomorrow.

I started them about 7 weeks ago.

I thought that red was really attractive. Also in the germination directions it said they need COMPLETE DARKNESS, for some ridiculous period of time (20 days is what I remember), is this true?

I had great germination rate for mine. I sowed them and covered them with about 1/4" of fine growing medium placed them in a plastic bag and but them on the heat mat set at 80 degrees with lights on. The germinated in 5-7 days.

Vinca are super-easy to germinate. I sow the seeds, then cover with the sowing medium (I don't bury them, just lightly cover), and close the lid on the lid on the clear plastic container. I then place them under the growing fluoro. light cart (which generates the heat), and they sprout with 5-7 days w/o fail. No, they don't need darkness for 20 days - who came up with that? The seeds do need to be covered with medium, though.

In case I was confusing in my wording, I place the sowed seeds under the flouro. lights on the light cart - the lights are on, but the seeds are covered with medium.

I'm not sure if my property can handle vinca... I live on a lake with constant cool breezes... I'm under lots of large oak trees - and even in the sunniest spots (that I don't have tomatoes planted) I'm not sure that it could be considered HOT and/or DRY... May be instead of buying seed I'll buy a 6-pack and give them a whirl... I am truly running out of space in the house! :)

Thanks for the advice folks!

I LOVE Vincas. They were one of the first plants I ever grew when I started gardening a few years ago. I still pick up at least a 6pack every year. I plant them under trees where they get dappled light all day and full sun at the end of the day (maybe 2+ hrs) they did GREAT for me!
I watered them the same as the rest of my plants, I never saw that reacted badly to too much watering.

I feel I just have to say this. In the state of Wisconsin, Vinca minor is listed as an invasive species, and it does a lot of damage. It gets into the woodlands (via the birds and blowing seeds) and it competes with the native species for space and nutrients -- usually to the detriment of the native species. After all, one of the reasons it's so popular is that it's so easy to grow! I did check the Massachusetts list for invasive species, and it's NOT listed there (where you live tom8olvr), but you might keep this in the back of your mind in terms of keeping your vinca under control. Just a thought. MacThayer

Mac, She is talking about Catharanthus roseus or periwinkle. The vinca that is grown as an annual flower not vinca minor the vine.

I planted some small vincas last spring, here in michigan, and boy did they grow long. Am i supposed to cut them back, or let them grow. I was hoping that they would spread for groundcover. The ones that have more shade are coming up already. Can i broadcast some new seeds in hopes of more groundcover?

Click on the thumbnails to see the full sized photos.
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These vincas are from seeds saved from a planting of 'Cooler' plants from some years back.
They reseed yearly when the weather gets really warm.
Vincas like hot weather and sunshine.
Nell

I have sporadic vincas planted throughout my garden. They are the white "cooler peppermint" flowers. They REALLY POP against black mulch.

But, I have a few questions. Is there any way to get them to hold their flowers a little longer. They produce flowers frequently, but the fallen petals are a pain to pick up daily.

I'd like to add more of them next year. How do I collect seeds from them and save them for later use? Also, will the plant grow from cuttings?

I didn't know that they don't like much water...that may be why I lost one of mine--the leaves started curling up, looking real skinny and the plant slowly died, though the others are fine. They are in full sun, facing south. I try not to water them or the pentas, marigolds, and zinnias that are next to them, too terribly often. I lost one zinnia to sunburn, which suprised me!

Sorry to say that I'm trying to get rid of the vinca I have because it has taken over my yard and it has strangled out my other plants. Now granted I have not kept up with it either but just my 2 cents worth!

Dawninva: Are you possibly referring to perennial vinca? This post is referring to the annual, not the perennial - the annual is very well behaved, isn't a groundcover/creeper. :0)