Vinca (Pink) Plant

Vinca  also called Speedwell, is a carefree and easy-to-grow perennial with long spikes of small petals in purple, blue, pink, or white. This attractive plant grows in clusters from 1 to 3 feet tall, and blooms from spring to autumn.

There is also a bushy ground cover variety (Prostrate speedwell) which features dense clusters of flowers and grows to about 10 inches tall.

Vinca Planting & Care

·         Grow in moderately fertile, well-drained soil in full sun.

·         Plant in the spring. (Veronica can be sowed by seed in containers in a cold frame in autumn but most people start this perennial as a transplant from the nursery.)

·         Loosen the soil and mix in compost. Dig a hole twice the diameter of the plant’s container.

·         When placing the plant in the hole, ensure the top of the root ball is level with the soil surface.

·         Water thoroughly.

CARE

·         Water in the summer if rainfall is less than 1 inch per week.

·         Stake tall varieties.

·         Keep covered with a thin layer of compost, followed by a 2-inch layer of mulch to retain moisture.

·         Deadhead to extend bloom time.

·         After the first killing frost, cut back stems to an inch or two above the soil line.

·         Divide perennials in autumn or spring every few years.

PESTS/DISEASES

·          Scale insects, downy mildew, powdery mildew, rust, leaf smut, and root rot occur.

RECOMMENDED VARIETIES

·          ‘Crater Lake Blue’ is a mat-forming perennial that grows 12 to 18 inches tall with beautiful deep, dentian-blue flowers in early summer.

·         ‘Sunny Border Blue’ is a clump-forming perennial that grows to 20 inches tall and bears erect sturdy spikes of tubular, dark violet-blue flowers from early summer to late autumn.

·         ‘Red Fox’ has very deep pink flowers on a narrow spike and grows as a mat-forming perennial to 12 inches tall, blooming from early to late summer.

·         ‘Dick’s Wine’ is a ground cover that grows to about 10 inches tall and produces an abundance of rose-wine-colored blooms