vinca is a common name ... being both annual and perennial ... they are not the same plant ....

if you mean the groundcover.. i have had one in my z5 for 10 years .... it is NOT tender ...

so i think you need to get a proper ID of which vinca you might have ...

and no.. i do not trust tags that come with the plant ... lol

ken

I've had that variegated annual vinca survive after being left in a window box over the winter! I've never tried to plant it in the ground though but some of it sure seems tougher than you'd expect for an annual :-)

Years ago, I bought some of the variegated vinca vine to put in window boxes. It escaped the boxes, and established itself in the foundation bed underneath.

It is still there.

While larger leaved, I think it does have to be a close relative of the groundcover vinca. It is at least as aggressive a spreader, and I'm very glad it is in a bed bordered by the front walk.

Since I do like it better than the variegated euonymus it is trying to overcome, it is a general positive, but I can see where it might be a bit of an unwelcome shock to the unwary.

The white variegated vinca is vinca major, the usual ground cover is vinca minor (so different species). It's sorta hardy and can overwinter if in a good spot (an easy way to get cheap plants).... So they're both perennnials just not both as hardy.
The annual ones I think are no longer considered vinca, but still called that as a common name.

As ken said, we are running up against the nomenclature problem again. The annual commonly called 'Vinca' is actually a sub tropical/tropical perennial, Catharanthus roseus. It is only distantly related to the hardy Vincas major and minor (same family, different genus). I can't really believe Catharanthus would survive a zone 5 winter and I have not been able to find any reference to there being any variegated Catharanthus. Vinca, however, would have no trouble surviving. I suspect, therefore, that the OP's plant was Vinca.

If the 'Vinca' you had in a window box, mad_gallica, was a vine then it would be true Vinca, not Catharanthus, and not only related but one of the same species as the ground cover Vinca. ie either Vinca major or Vinca minor, probably V major from the leaf size.

im not talking about vinca roseus. I am talking about vinca major. Vinca minor is the plain green one i keep on comparing it 2

Yes, it is variegated vinca major.

It is sold as an annual here. This would make enormous sense if it was really only hardy to zone 7, but I'm fairly sure it has come through -15F unscathed. Even in a warm microclimate next to the garage, I wouldn't expect that to be zone 7. Zone 6 I'd buy, and it may just be much hardier than expected.

I would have never expected it to survive a northern winter like this. What city do you like in mad gallica. Is your name a symbol of the wonderful gallica roses

Vinca major and Vinca minor are not annuals.

They may be sold with annuals for foliage color in hanging baskets and planters but they are just as hardy as the plain green groundcovers.

In Phoenix where I first worked at a nursery, Catharanthus roseus was always called "vinca" as it's common name not Madagascar periwinkle, it is a very important summer annual in extreme heat areas. I have never heard of this plant called Vinca roseus only Catharanthus roseus

Vinca roseus is a syn. Meaning it is a step name to the actual scientific names. Latin is very confusing and the names are always changing

gardengal48 - 'Vinca' (note my inverted commas) is a de facto common name in so far as I have seen it frequently used on these forums for Catharanthus roseus. In the UK its common name is Madagascar periwinkle, so it seems to be a US habit to call it 'Vinca'. (see link) Catharanthus roseus , the tender perennial, was once known as Vinca rosea, but no longer. It is not in the same genus as Vinca and is not a species of Vinca. At least not until someone does some DNA work and decides to reclassify it.

kato_b - there are variegated Vinca minors as well as Vinca major, so not all variegated forms are V major. In the UK both are used as ground cover and as trailers in containers and both are hardy everywhere. Catharanthus is a tricky plant here because we just don't have enough sun and heat.

Here is a link that might be useful: The Vinca muddle

Mines is vinca major. The pretty red annual you talk about is actually commonly known as periwinkle or madagascar periwinkle in most of the us. I just used vinca because someone else used vinca

teengardener1888 - you were quite right to call it Vinca if it is Vinca major. That is its correct botanical name. I think people thought you were talking about Catharanthus because you were saying you were surprised it survived the winter in your compost heap. Vinca major is pretty tough and although apparently only hardy to z6, in a compost heap it would be protected.

Vinca major is also known as periwinkle around here. This is why they started to use latin. Yet that is even misleading

Let's not pick nits :-) Plant taxonomy changes daily and there are literally scores of plants that are being referred to in publication, by horticulturists, growers and the general public alike by outdated names. If it is in common acceptance or usage, it is considered synomous with the "proper" botanical name. In the case of Vinca rosea/Catharanthus roseus, "vinca" is the basionym or original name.

Other examples:
Cimicifuga/Actea
Sedum/Hylotelephium
new world Asters/Canadanthus, Doellingeria, Eucephalus, Eurybia, Ionactis, Oligoneuron, Oreostemma, Sericocarpus and Symphyotrichum
Chamaecyparis nootkatensis/Xanthocyparis nootkatensis

and the list goes on.......:-)

I'm confused.....

Dee

And you think im not at this point!ii???????