Vinca Flower: Care and Growth

If you live in a hot and humid area, then you can have a vinca flower in your home.

Annual vinca flowers come in varying colors and they can either be trialing or upright.

Trailing vincas is a great option that tends to grow out of containers or a hanging basket.

While upright vincas work well in mass plantings, particularly in landscapes where you are looking to make a big impact with little maintenance.

Moreover, the green glossy foliage of the vinca flowers makes them look elegant and stunning.

Experts and gardeners describe the varieties of this plant as “with eye”.

These tend to feature one color in the center of the bloom that will fade out to the main color.

The flowers of this plant can either be pink, red, white, or purple.

Keep on reading to learn more about Vinca Flowers.

Vinca Flower

Vinca flower or Catharanthus roseus is a tropical perennial that you can grow as an annual in a lot of regions.

It has flowers and foliage that tend to look like impatiens, however, rather than being a shade lover, the annual vinca tends to prefer sunny locations.

These flowers are also known as Madagascar Periwinkles.

These are not the newest or flashiest annual plants in the gardening scene, however, recent cultivator developments warrant a closer examination of this common bedding plant.

Moreover, many horticulturists have been working hard to cultivate new colors in plants that have showy flowers, you can easily start from the seed.

It is important to note that this plant is already drought-resistant and pest free.

You can plant vinca seedlings after the frost date in your region passes.

The foliage of this plant is dark green and leather-like.

Depending on the variety, these fast-growing vinca flowers tend to grow 6 to 8 inches tall with a similar spread.

Furthermore, annual vinca plants tend to bear single blooms with five petals that frequently touch or overlap from early summer until the first frost.

A number of varieties tend to feature a contrasting eye.

If you have not had them in your garden for a while, you can check out the expanded color palette that includes blooms in a number of shades.

These include pink, rose, and lilac spectrum.

No matter what your preference is, these all plants are attractive to butterflies and are rabbit resistant.

However, it is important to note that parts of annual vinca plants are toxic to dogs, cats, and humans as well.

Learn more about Drought-Tolerant Plants that will survive in the Driest Conditions here.

Common Facts about Vinca Flower

Some common facts about vinca flowers are:

Learn more about Poisonous Plants for Pets here.

Vinca Flower Care

One of the important things to note is that you should not rush to plant vinca plants in the spring.

As these are hot weather annuals, plating them in the early cold, wet soil will deliver a sickly performance, so you should avoid doing that.

Experts advice that if you want to plant vinca, then one of the safest methods is to  plant them around the same time you set out to transplant tomatoes.

This is when the evening temperature is at an average of 60 degrees Fahrenheit.

Another important thing to note is that full sun is best for planting vinca flowers, however, some afternoon shade is fine, especially in hot southern locations.

You will need to grow them in sandy loam soil in a fully sunny spot.

Though they are drought tolerant, they tend to thrive best with a weekly water soak rather than you spraying water from overhead.

Furthermore, vincas are free-flowering and self-cleaning, and you will not need to deadhead the plant.

Vinca flower is one of the most carefree annual flowers you can grow in your garden, which a few serious diseases or insect problems.

However, in poorly draining soil, stem rot and leaf spots may occur.

While slugs and snails can also eat the leaves of the plant.

Growth Requirments by the Plant

Growth requirements for the vinca flower are:

Light: Annual vincas love to thrive in full sun and can also be tolerant of partial shade.

However, it can become leggy if there is too much shade.

Soil: To grow vinca, you will need well-draining soil.

You will need to add compost or grit to the heavy soil. While you can also plant them in raised beds or containers with a porous, well-draining potting mix.

Water: When you water too frequently vinca flowers, it is one of the common mistakes that you can make.

Therefore, you should water the plant when the top inch of the soil feels dry to the touch.

Moreover, moderate weekly watering is ideal for the growth of the plant.

However, do not water at all if your garden is getting regular rainfall.

It is important to note that this plant tends to thrive best in dry soil.

Temperature and Humidity: This plant tends to love hot and humid weather.

However, they can languish a bit if you plant them too early in the cool spring and will begin to deteriorate as the weather cools in the fall.

Fertilizer: You will need to add compost to the bed or a slow-release fertilizer when you are planting them.

On the other hand, if you are growing them in containers, you will need to frequently feed them as nutrients tend to leech out from the soil as water drains.

Types of Annual Vinca

The top varieties of annual vinca are:

‘Cooler’ series: It is a good choice for you if you have cool summers.

‘Heatwave’ series: These plants tend to have a very compact growth habit.

‘Mediterranean’ series: These plants tend to trail to 2 feet.

Moreover, you can use them in containers and hanging baskets.

‘Pacifica’ series: These plants are early bloomers.

‘Soiree Double White’: Gardners consider this variety a novelty in the vinca world.

This one produces double flowers for a full, lush look.

‘Stardust’ series: Flowers of this variety feature white stardust in the center.

You can look for the All-America Selections’ award-winning “Stardust Orchid”.

Companion Plants you can grow with Vinca

Companion plants with vinca are:

Angelonia: Also known as snapdragon, it has a saliva-like flower spire that tends to grow 1 to 2 feet high.

This plant tends to bloom all summer with its spike of blooms that add bright color to hot sunny spaces.

A number of gardeners tend to treat angelonia as annuals, however, it is a perennial in zones 9 to 10.

If you have a bright sunny spot indoors, you can keep them flowering all winter.

Calibrachoa or Million Bells: Just like tiny petunia on steroids, these flowers tend to grow and flower at a stunning rate.

They make a splash when you put them in the garden and are perfect for containers or hanging baskets.

However, you can also have them into the front of a border where they will spill out onto the sidewalk or patio.

These plants will grow well in containers as long as you provide them with enough water and fertilizer.

Lisianthus: Fun fact about these plants is that some varieties of lisianthus look like a blue rose.

It is a stunning flower and is one of the best cut flowers you can have.

You will find them extremely tricky to start from the seed, so make sure to plant them in rich, well-draining soil in full sun after the frost has passed.

Make sure to keep the most, however, do not overwater them.

Learn more about Napa Cabbage Planting and Growth here.

Propagating Vinca Flower

You can propagate vinca flowers by taking cuttings in the early fall.

It is important to note that periwinkle tends to naturally spread through the underground rhizomes as well as its roots.

In botanical terms, these are roots that form on non-root material.

In simple terms, this plant tends to produce stems with root nodes that will sink into the soil wherever they find a place.

Therefore, if you plant a few plugs of this plant and don’t look twice, you will have a whole mat soon.

This does not mean you need to encourage them to propagate.

Depending on your zone, climate, or weather conditions, you will want to provide mulch, and water regularly and if the growth rate is not what you expect, you will need to add a balanced fertilizer.

Growing from Seeds

It is important to note that new vinca flowers are easy to start from seeds rather than starting from their predecessors.

Though they take time to flower, you will need to start the seeds enough to make sure there is darkness.

Use supplemental heat if you provide an ideal germination temperature of 75 degrees Fahrenheit.

Make sure that you harden off seedlings for a week to 10 days before you plant them in the garden.

Getting them to Bloom

Vinca flower is a prolific grower, however, when you make sure it produces its flowers, colorful flowers will need a few factors, which are:

Sunlight: If your plant is not blooming, then you will need to thin out a bit so that the underlayers get more sun.

Water: Make sure that you are not overwatering the soil and that is well-draining.

Moreover, vinca flowers will not bloom if their roots are waterlogged so do not water your plant unless the soil is dry.

As long as you address the above two factors, vinca tends to bloom all season, and no deadheading will be necessary.

Common Problems with Vinca Flower

Some common problems you may encounter with vinca are:

Brown Spots on Leaves: Annual vinca can encounter a number of fungal diseases.

These include:

• leaf spot
• botrytis blight
• root rot

The cause of these problems can be dampness and lack of airflow.

You can easily fix this problem by thinning out the plants. Trim all the affected leaves with the help of a clean, sharp garden shear and apply a fungicide to the plant.

Yellow-Wilted Leaves: If the leaves of your plant are yellowing and wilting, it is often due to the fact that your plant is getting too much water.

Make sure to stick your finger in the soil before watering time.

Yellow and wilted leaves are a sign that there is too much moisture in the soil, which is easy to remedy.