Periwinkle is a perennial herb or shrub with delicate sky-blue or pinkish flowers. It belongs to the Kutra family and has spread from Asia and North America to almost the entire planet. Periwinkle feels good in temperate climates and retains green leaves even under snowdrifts. An unpretentious, enduring plant is often used to decorate the garden. It can also be found under the names "vinka", "grave grass", "witch violet." The plant is shrouded in an area of mysticism and mystery. In fact, nothing negative carries periwinkle. Moreover, it has healing properties recognized even by traditional medicine.
Botanical characteristics
Periwinkle - perennial with lodging or creeping on the ground, branched shoots. It forms a sprawling bush up to 35 cm high or a solid green carpet. The roots are horizontal, not far from the surface of the earth. In length, they grow to 70 cm.
On thin stems covered with light green or reddish bark, opposite petiolate oval or ovoid leaflets grow. Their dark green leathery surface glistens in the sun, and a lighter vein is visible in the center. The leaflets are 3-5 cm long and about 2.5 cm wide. Some species retain foliage throughout the year or dump it in an unfavorable period.
Flowering occurs in May-June. Large single flowers bloom in the axils of the leaves. The corolla with a long tube and five bent, divided along the edge of the petals in diameter is about 3 cm. From the center only the stamens and the ovary column peep slightly. Petals are painted in blue, purple or pink. Sometimes the saturation of the shade at the base and edge of the petals is different.
After pollination, the fruits ripen - crescent green leaves about 7-8 cm long. Elongated light brown seeds with a rough surface are located inside them.
Types and varieties of plants
The genus of periwinkle is very small. It includes only 5 main types. For a greater variety, breeders have developed decorative garden varieties that differ in the structure and coloring of flowers or leaves.
The periwinkle is big. The heat-loving variety is common in the Mediterranean, Crimea and the Caucasus. A ground cover perennial spreads on the ground and forms a solid bright green carpet of shiny egg-shaped leaves. Short cilia are visible along the edge of the foliage. The leaf length is 4-8 cm. Since mid-May, single axillary flowers bloom on long, thin peduncles. The diameter of the opened bud reaches 5 cm. Bluish petals have a lighter shade at the center and darken to the edge. The plant can winter in a temperate climate, but only under thick snow cover. The popular Variegata variety is distinguished by the color of the foliage. Its edges are edged with a silver or golden border. The variety is more sensitive to cooling.
Periwinkle. The plant spread throughout Asia Minor and the Mediterranean. This view is better adapted to shaded areas. The length of the branched stem reaches 60 cm. It is covered with leathery oval foliage on longer petioles. The size of the sheet plate is 3-5 cm. It is painted in dark green. Single flowers of a saturated blue shade grow in diameter of about 2-2.5 cm. They bloom at the end of May. Varieties:
- white-flowered;
- red;
- variegated - leaves covered with yellow spots and strokes;
- variegate - with golden stains on the foliage;
- terry blue;
- terry red;
- periwinkle illumination - yellow leaves with a narrow dark green edging shade bright blue large flowers that bloom already in late April.
Periwinkle pink. An evergreen shrub with branched, erect stems grows up to 60 cm high. Opposite dark green leaves about 7 cm long have an oval shape and a narrow, lighter vein in the center. Flowering begins in late May and lasts almost all summer. Single sedentary flowers with pink petals bloom in the upper part of the processes. Varieties:
- first kiss - compact (40 cm tall) bush densely covered with small pinkish flowers;
- re-mint cooler - a red spot is located in the center of a white or cream flower.
Breeding methods
Most often, periwinkle is propagated by vegetative methods. A tenacious perennial can root itself on contact with soil at any site. From May to August, strong sprouts are dug into the ground, leaving a tip on the surface. When the layering takes root, it is cut off and planted separately.
In the spring, a large bush can be cut into several parts. They do this in March-April, before the appearance of young shoots. The long rhizome has several growth points, from which new shoots develop in bundles. When digging the earth near the periwinkle, new plants appear that have developed from segments of the root.
For cuttings in late spring or summer, processes with 2-3 nodes are cut. They are rooted immediately in the garden, choosing places in partial shade. The distance is 20-30 cm. The adaptation process is fast. Within a month, the seedling can be transplanted to a permanent place.
To grow a periwinkle from seeds, fresh seed material is used. Seeds are sown before winter or spring immediately in open ground. To do this, prepare grooves with a depth of 1-1.5 cm. In the spring, small shoots appear that quickly develop. As necessary, vegetation is thinned and trimmed. In June, you can transplant seedlings to a permanent place.
Outdoor Care
Periwinkle is planted in open, sunny places or under the sparse shadow of deciduous trees. Plants prefer well-drained, loose soils with a neutral or slightly acidic reaction. Sand or gravel is introduced into heavy clay soil before planting. Landing is best planned on a dry, cloudy day. In the future, caring for the plant is very simple.
Watering. Periwinkle is able to withstand a slight drought. In the absence of natural rainfall, one watering per week is enough. A little more moisture is needed during the flowering period, then the green carpet will be abundantly covered with sky-blue flowers. Several times a month, the earth near the plantings is loosened. The overgrown bush is able to independently cope with weeds. Care must be taken, since in the flower garden, periwinkle can behave aggressively, crowding out neighbors. For a year without pruning, it can fill up to 7 m² of territory.
Fertilizer. Twice or thrice per season, periwinkles are fed. On fertile soils, the need for fertilizing is much less. Preference should be given to organic compounds, but universal mineral complexes can be used. They are introduced into the soil in early April, May and in July.
Pruning. When the first flowering wave is completed, pruning is recommended. With it, wilted flowers and part of too long shoots will be removed. But soon new sprouts will appear.
Diseases and pests. In too thickened plantings, periwinkles can suffer from fungal diseases (leaf rust, powdery mildew). Regular shearing and soil cultivation with fungicides helps. In hot weather, aphids can settle on the leaves, from which Karbofos, Biotlin, or another specific insecticide can quickly get rid.
Periwinkle in landscaping
The thick greens of the periwinkle overgrowth resemble a green carpet or lush pillows. It is able to mask bare ground near trees or the space between the masonry. Plants are also used in rockeries, along borders and in rock gardens. In a complex flower garden, undersized periwinkle is planted in the foreground.
Plants go well with forget-me-nots, copses, primrose or medunits. Sometimes it is planted in containers for landscaping balconies and verandas. Long shoots hang from a flowerpot with a continuous green cascade, on which large blue splashes of flowers are scattered.
The healing properties of the plant
Different types of periwinkles incorporate a different set of active substances. In medicine, the most commonly used periwinkle is small, it is also a medicinal one. Its shoots, foliage and flowers contain more than 20 alkaloids, bitterness, vitamins, flavonoids, sugars, minerals and tannins. They interfere with uncontrolled cell division, therefore, are part of anticancer drugs.
Preparations with a vinca extract have sedative properties and have a stimulating effect on thought processes. A decoction is used to rinse the oral cavity as an anesthetic and anti-inflammatory agent for inflammation of the gums or sore throat. It also helps with diarrhea, intestinal or uterine bleeding. Alcohol tincture is taken for fibroids and polyps in the uterus, prostatitis, endometriosis and female infertility.
For all its benefits, periwinkle is a poisonous plant. Even a slight overdose can slow down the heart rate and heart failure, so it is better to use pharmaceuticals under the supervision of a doctor, rather than self-medicating.
