Common Periwinkle: A Pretty Groundcover with a Dark Secret
Common periwinkle (Vinca minor) might catch your eye with its charming blue flowers and glossy green leaves, but this European import comes with some serious baggage that every gardener should know about before planting.
What is Common Periwinkle?
Common periwinkle is a low-growing perennial herb that forms dense mats of evergreen foliage. This stoloniferous plant spreads by sending out runners, creating a carpet-like groundcover that typically reaches just 0.3 feet tall. During early summer, it produces small but conspicuous blue flowers that peek through its dark green, coarse-textured leaves.
The Not-So-Native Truth
Here’s where things get complicated: common periwinkle isn’t native to North America at all. Originally from Europe and Asia, this plant has naturalized across a huge swath of the continent, now found in states from Alabama to Wisconsin, and from British Columbia to Nova Scotia.
Warning: Before you fall in love with those pretty blue blooms, know that common periwinkle is considered invasive in several states, including Alabama (Category 2 invasive) and Delaware (invasive status). This means it can escape cultivation, spread aggressively, and potentially harm native ecosystems.
Why Gardeners Are Tempted
It’s easy to see why common periwinkle has found its way into so many gardens. This tough little plant offers several appealing qualities:
- Thrives in challenging shady spots where other plants struggle
- Extremely low maintenance once established
- Evergreen foliage provides year-round interest
- Excellent for erosion control on slopes
- Tolerates a wide range of soil types and pH levels (5.5-7.7)
- Hardy in USDA zones 4-8
Growing Conditions
If common periwinkle weren’t problematic, it would be considered a gardener’s dream groundcover. It adapts to coarse, medium, or fine-textured soils and shows remarkable shade tolerance. The plant has medium drought tolerance, low moisture requirements, and can handle temperatures as low as -33°F.
It grows at a moderate rate and spreads vegetatively rather than by seed, which might seem like good news for containment—but don’t be fooled. Those stolons (runners) can travel surprising distances and establish new colonies.
Our Recommendation: Skip It
Given its invasive status and tendency to escape into wild areas, we strongly recommend avoiding common periwinkle in your landscape. While it might solve immediate groundcover needs, it could create long-term environmental problems.
Native Alternatives That Actually Help Wildlife
Instead of common periwinkle, consider these native groundcovers that provide similar benefits without the ecological risks:
- Wild ginger for deep shade areas
- Wintergreen for evergreen coverage
- Creeping phlox for spring flowers
- Native sedges for tough sites
- Wild strawberry for edible groundcover
These alternatives will give you the coverage you need while supporting local pollinators and wildlife—something common periwinkle fails to do effectively.
The Bottom Line
While common periwinkle might seem like an easy solution for challenging garden spots, its invasive nature and lack of ecological benefits make it a poor choice for responsible gardeners. Your local ecosystems (and future generations of gardeners) will thank you for choosing native alternatives instead.
