Vinca major – Hardy Evergreen Groundcover

The Vinca major, commonly known as Greater Periwinkle, is a vigorous evergreen groundcover that combines attractive foliage with charming flowers. Supplied here as a handy 6-pack, it’s ideal for quickly covering bare soil, suppressing weeds, and brightening shady areas where many other plants struggle to thrive.

With its trailing stems and glossy green leaves, Vinca major forms a dense carpet of greenery all year round. In spring and summer, it produces star-shaped violet-blue flowers that bring soft colour to borders, banks, or woodland-style planting schemes. Reliable, hardy, and low-maintenance, this classic groundcover is perfect for both practical and ornamental use.

General Information

Vinca major is a long-established garden favourite, valued for its ability to cover ground and thrive in difficult spots.

• Habit: Evergreen, trailing perennial with spreading stems.

• Height & spread: Grows 30–45cm tall and spreads 1.5–2m wide over time.

• Foliage: Glossy, dark green, oval-shaped leaves that remain fresh throughout the year.

• Flowers: Violet-blue, star-shaped blooms appear in spring and summer, with occasional repeat flushes into autumn.

• Position: Thrives in full sun to full shade, though flowering is best with some sun.

• Soil: Prefers fertile, well-drained soil but tolerates most types, including clay and sandy ground.

• Hardiness: Fully hardy across the UK and Ireland, tolerating frost and cold winters.

• Uses: Excellent for groundcover in borders, woodland edges, banks, slopes, or shaded areas under trees.

Because of its fast-spreading habit, Vinca major is often used in larger areas where quick coverage is needed, such as on difficult banks or in shaded beds.

Care Guide

Vinca major is exceptionally easy to grow and thrives with minimal care, making it a superb choice for beginners and busy gardeners.

Planting

• When to plant: Spring or autumn is best, though container-grown plants can be planted year-round.

• Depth & spacing: Plant at the same depth as in the pot, spacing 30–45cm apart for coverage.

• Preparation: Improve soil with compost before planting, especially on poor or sandy ground.

Watering & Feeding

• Water regularly in the first season to establish.

• Once established, it is drought-tolerant and needs little additional watering.

• Feeding is rarely required; if desired, apply a general-purpose fertiliser in spring to boost growth.

Pruning & Maintenance

• Trim back trailing stems after flowering in summer to maintain shape and control spread.

• Can be cut back hard in spring if it becomes too vigorous; it will regrow quickly.

• Mulch around plants annually to suppress weeds and maintain soil moisture.

Protection

• Fully hardy, requiring no winter protection.

• Very resilient and rarely troubled by pests or diseases.

• May become invasive if not managed – keep trimmed in smaller gardens.

Why Choose Vinca major (6-pack)?

This reliable groundcover is an unbeatable choice for tough garden spots.

• Year-round interest: Evergreen foliage provides cover in every season.

• Flower power: Violet-blue blooms brighten shady borders.

• Practical use: Suppresses weeds and prevents soil erosion on slopes.

• Versatile: Grows in sun or shade and tolerates most soils.

• Low-maintenance: Hardy, drought-tolerant, and long-lived.

The Vinca major 6-pack is a practical and attractive way to quickly establish evergreen groundcover in your garden. Whether you’re filling in difficult shady areas, covering a bank, or simply looking for a low-maintenance plant that delivers colour and structure, this vigorous perennial will provide dependable performance year after year.

• Size
  (9 cm pots)

We currently only deliver within the island of Ireland, other countries can be quoted for by contacting [email protected] or via telephone on 06964084
 

Standard Delivery is FREE on orders over €250*

All standard deliveries will be completed within 5-7 working days via Fastway Couriers, any delay to this delivery time, the customer will be notified by One of our staff.

The in-Store delivery charge will vary compared with online, in-store delivery charge is done on a case by case basis. 

* Only mainland Ireland addresses qualify for free delivery.
 

Live Plants Delivery

Our live plants are packed with care and diligence by our staff, our horticulturists review each plant before despatch to ensure quality is maintained.
Live Plant delivery charges are not calculated on weight but on the space required per package to ensure safe delivery, so delivery charges may vary as some plants require more space than others when packed.
All live plants are despatched within 3-5 working days where possible, our couriers aim to deliver within 48 hours of despatch from our Garden Centre to allow the plant to arrive in healthy condition.
 

Click & Collect

Can’t wait for delivery? Why not try our FREE Click & Collect service? Simply make your purchase online and collect it from our store located in Croagh Co. Limerick. Our staff will contact you by phone when your order is ready for collection (Please allow 24 hours minimum). When collecting your item, call the store on 069-64084. We will then load into your car as required. This service is available in-store 9am – 6pm Monday – Saturday (No collections on Sundays)

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