Variegated periwinkle (lat. Vinca variegata; popularly known as the “witch violet” or “flower of love”) is a perennial creeping bush. It has a very attractive, festive look, due to the peculiar color of the leaves, the green of which is bordered with yellow. In spring and early summer, periwinkle is decorated with light blue flowers. Summer residents really appreciate this view for its beauty and unpretentiousness. In addition to the decorative role, variegated periwinkle drowns out the growth of weeds and prevents soil erosion in the area.
Variegated periwinkle in landscaping
Culture is often used in landscape compositions by both professionals and ordinary gardeners. Working with a periwinkle is easy and pleasant: it grows very quickly, creating a groundcover effect, while you can not worry about the presence of weeds, because they simply do not start in his presence.
You can combine variegated periwinkle with any plants. It has an evergreen nature, therefore, when all other cultures lose their aesthetic appearance with the advent of winter, it will continue to delight the eye along with conifers. It often lands on the Alpine hills as the lower tier in a combination of coniferous and deciduous trees and shrubs. Also, a periwinkle made to draw wide borders or mini-barriers. If the place on the site is shady, instead of lawn grass, you can also use an unpretentious witch's violet.
Did you know? Residents of medieval Germany believed that periwinkle wreaths hung above the windows protect the house from lightning, and above the front door they drive away evil spirits.
A beautiful combination is obtained when planting a periwinkle with ferns. Also often there is a design of flower beds with the participation of periwinkle. Good neighbors for him are primroses, lungwort, forget-me-nots, irises, blueberries, hyacinths. You can decorate the garden with periwinkles grown in containers, placing them at your discretion.
Outdoor landing
Planting a periwinkle is a very simple task. Even a completely inexperienced gardener can perform it, since the plant is not capricious and takes root in almost any conditions. However, in order to achieve the most impressive results and to get a particularly magnificent green carpet created by one’s own efforts, it is necessary to know and take into account some rules when planting a young periwinkle.
Seat selection
For rooting in the open ground, you can not especially pick up a place - the culture perfectly survives on any soil and under any conditions. However, the flower feels best on fertile loamy, permeable, loose soil with a neutral pH. The optimal place for growth is considered partial shade formed by the crowns of trees. But it will grow abundantly on the hillsides, near the house in the open sun.
Important! The only condition for choosing a place for planting vinca is the absence of stagnant and nearby groundwater. Prolonged flooding leads to decay of the root system and death of the plant.
Soil preparation
Before planting the flower on heavy clay soils, you must first make compost, humus or rotted leaves in them (1: 1 mix with the ground).
Given the rapid growth of green mass, nitrogenous fertilizers should be introduced during rooting (urea according to the instructions). For the full development of the roots and abundant flowering during planting, phosphorus-containing preparations (superphosphate, nitroammophosk according to the instructions) are also added.
Landing rules
The witch’s violet can be rooted even in the summer heat - you just need to moisten the young plant every day.
When landing, you must adhere to the following recommendations:
- Root seedlings with an interval of 30 cm, t. Each plant grows rapidly in width.
- It is optimal to plant a young plant in early spring, when the snow has fallen, or in early autumn (September).
- The landing hole must be equipped according to the size of the rhizome.
- At the bottom, place drainage (expanded clay, crushed stone, pebbles, broken brick) with a layer of 5 cm.
- Carefully spread the roots of the seedling and cover it with prepared soil mixture.
- Compact the earth and pour 5 liters of water.
- After the water is absorbed, the trunk circle must be mulched with sawdust, peat or pine needles.
Video: Landing the periwinkle
Care
Periwinkle is a very hardy culture that can survive even in the most adverse conditions. Nevertheless, like any other plant, he gratefully responds to the care and care of the owner.
Lighting
The culture tolerates both the open sun and complete shading. However, the most comfortable condition for the flower to grow is partial shade.
Temperature
This variety can grow equally violently both in the tropics and in Siberia. Forever green leaves reduce the winter hardiness of the plant, therefore, in conditions of especially severe frosts in the northern regions (below -15 ° C) it is required to cover the culture for winter with agrofibre.
Humidity and watering
Young seedlings require regular heavy watering immediately after planting. The entire season of the first year of growth must be monitored so that the soil in the near-stem circle is moist. The next year after planting, a stronger and overgrown flower does not require watering, its root system is able to extract moisture from the soil. The exception is especially arid, sultry periods when the plant needs to be watered once a week.
Do you need a periwinkle transplant
A flower lives on average from 4 to 6 years. At the same time, a dense decorative carpet is formed from weaving stems and leaves, which does not lose aesthetic qualities all year round. A periwinkle growing in open ground does not need a transplant.
Did you know? According to medieval belief, for the emergence of lasting mutual love, the boy and the girl needed to be divided in two and at the same time eat a sheet of vinca.
Pruning
After the onset of spring, sanitary pruning of the plant is carried out. At the same time, all dead, frozen, dried, broken, damaged shoots and leaves are cut off. A little later, in May, stimulating pruning is necessary. With this procedure, 8 cm of shoots are left from the ground, and the rest is cut off. This stimulates the rapid growth of lush greenery and lush flowering. Throughout the season, pinch tops of the shoots, which gives greater branching and bushiness.
The soil
The flower does not need weeding if it grows on loose soils. Loosening the earth is only if it is clay and heavy (when humus or compost was not introduced during planting). If the periwinkle is more than two years old, then at the beginning and at the end of the season it is necessary to pierce the soil at the rooting sites with a pitchfork. This is done to saturate the root system with oxygen.
Fertilizers
Humus, nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers introduced during planting have an effect during the first two years of a flower’s life.From the third year of growth in spring (during the ripening period of buds), the periwinkles are fed humus (dig 1 bucket of humus per 1 m² of area where the crop grows). Organic dressing is performed twice more per season (July, September)
During the season two more times they carry out complex mineral fertilizer of the plant (superphosphate according to the instructions). It should be noted that even without top dressing, the periwinkle will feel very good. He takes care of himself - the dead leaves of the plant rot in the soil and enrich it with nutrients, creating a natural top dressing.
Vegetative propagation
Periwinkle can be propagated both seeds and vegetatively. Vegetative propagation is the most popular way to get an evergreen cover on a site. Due to its vitality, the flower takes root almost always and everywhere.
Cuttings
Planting a periwinkle with cuttings is possible from spring to late autumn. Usually it is produced in October, when cutting plants before wintering. The method of grafting is simple: for him, take a young stalk 15–20 cm long, on which there are two green leaves.
The cutlery is vertically placed in a small deepening of the soil, then sprinkled, lightly tamped the soil and watered. Rooting takes place very quickly (within a week). A young plant swiftly wraps around the earth around itself. Planted cuttings at a distance of 30 cm.
Important! In order for the periwinkle to take root, the stalk must be cut with a sharp knife, and not broken off.
Layering
In order to grow a new flower with the help of layering, you need to dig a side shoot from the parent shrub and fix it with a metal bracket. It is necessary to ensure that the rooting site of the lay is always wet. You can do this throughout the season.
Also, the periwinkle is able to create rooted branches itself. After the branches have sprouted the roots, it can be separated from the mother plant and transplanted to another place. The transplanted layering must be moistened regularly throughout the season.
Splitting the bush
Divorced farming is the most practical and easiest way.. To do this, you need to dig a bush with rhizome and separate the side shoots with roots. The size of the hole should correspond to the size of the roots of the separated seedling. Immediately after rooting, water should be abundantly watered.
Divisional women have the ability to adapt very quickly to a new place and go to growth. The most optimal time for dividing the bush is May or September. Such a procedure is allowed in the summer heat, but at the same time it is necessary to produce abundant irrigation of the soil daily. Planting dividers should be at a distance of at least 40 cm from each other.
Periwinkle is one of the most popular plants among gardeners, due to its unpretentiousness to conditions and care. Moreover, the culture even helps in the fight against weeds and favorably affects the composition of soils. Having planted a variegated periwinkle on the site, you can not worry about caring for lawns, because this flower will create a lush motley carpet of leaves and flowers, while not requiring a lot of effort, time and finances.
