Our Favorite Vinca ( Periwinkle )


Starting Vinca/Periwinkle from Seed Indoors
Growing vinca from seed is one of those activities that appeal to curious and/or enthusiastic gardeners. Far from being the difficult task it is touted to be, growing from seed simply takes a little more time and effort than buying plants at the garden center.
Vinca does not like cold, or even cool, temperatures or an abundance of moisture; both conditions existing outdoors in spring. Starting indoors, you control the environment.

Plan to sow the seeds 10 to 12 weeks before your average last frost in spring. Fill a shallow container or a flat with individual cells with a seed-starting mix. Moisten the mix and let it drain.
Sow seeds in rows in the container or 3 to 4 seeds per cell. Cover the seeds completely with 1/4 inch of the mix; press the mix down lightly and spritz the surface with water to moisten it and settle the seeds. Vinca requires total darkness to germinate; if light reaches the seeds, fewer of them will germinate. Cover the container with a sheet of black plastic or slip it inside a black plastic trash bag (instead of the usual clear plastic bag you use for other seeds, such as petunias and geraniums). If you can, set the container on a heating cable or mat to maintain a temperature of 77 degrees F (25 degrees C) in the media. Seeds will germinate in one to two weeks. Immediately remove the plastic cover and place the container in your sunniest window or in a fluorescent-light garden. Grow the plants at 70 degrees F or higher.
Don't overwater or overfeed the seedlings. Remember that vinca is drought tolerant. Water when the planting medium dries, but before the plants wilt. Fertilize about 10 days after the seeds have germinated. Use a water-soluble fertilizer that is low in phosphorus (the second number on a plant food label: 10-4-3, for example) and preferably obtains most of its nitrogen (the first number on the label) from a source other than ammonium nitrate.
When seedlings are about 2 inches tall, snip off all but the strongest plant in each cell at soil level. Space plants in flats about 2 inches apart. Transplant them to individual 2-1/2-inch pots when they reach about 3 inches tall and have at least three to four true leaves. Provide good air circulation by not overcrowding the plants. Provide high light levels, a southern window for example, to avoid "stretched" or leggy plants.
Fertilize again in two weeks.
Keep the plants indoors until soil and air temperatures outdoors are consistently above 65 degrees F.
Vinca branches naturally so you do not need to pinch out the growing tips to create a full, bushy plant.


LET738 Tattoo Blueberry
The art of plants comes alive on every Tattoo bloom – each petal looks like it is inked or airbrushed with soft brush strokes of dark purple. Adding these novelties to your lineup shows that you have your finger on the pulse of what today’s gardener really wants: bold, fun, head-turning. Tattoo…without a doubt, the most unique vinca on the market today! Grows 10-14" tall.
  17mg Package of about 25 seeds $3.95
3716 Tattoo Papaya
Sort orange tones with inky black eye.
Large rounded blooms with airbrushed look, well branched, green leaf, love heat, specimens in display pots or garden, grows 12" tall.
  18mg Package of about 25 seeds $3.95
SF376 Tattoo Raspberry
The art of plants comes alive on every Tattoo bloom – each petal looks like it is inked or airbrushed with soft brush strokes of dark purple. Adding these novelties to your lineup shows that you have your finger on the pulse of what today’s gardener really wants: bold, fun, head-turning. Tattoo is without a doubt, the most unique vinca on the market today! 10-12" tall.
Tattoo blooms display the best colour contrast under warm conditions with moderate light; colours lighten with increased temperatures and light. Grown under cooler conditions and lower light, colours appear darker overall with less contrast and more purple colouration being expressed. Deep raspberry blooms mature to a soft rose colour, each accented with an inky, dark eye.
  28mg Package of about 20 or more seeds $3.95
SF415 Tattoo Tangerine
Dark purple swirls airbrushed onto tangerine-colour blooms with a bright eye.
The art of plants comes alive on every Tattoo bloom – each petal looks like it is inked or airbrushed with soft brush strokes of dark purple. Adding these novelties to your lineup shows that you have your finger on the pulse of what today’s gardener really wants: bold, fun, head-turning. Tattoo is without a doubt, the most unique vinca on the market today! 10-12" tall.
Tattoo blooms display the best colour contrast under warm conditions with moderate light; colours lighten with increased temperatures and light. Grown under cooler conditions and lower light, colours appear darker overall with less contrast and more purple colouration being expressed.
  18mg Package of about 25 seeds $3.95
LET737 Tattoo American Pie Mix
A fun bold head-turning series, Tattoo is the most unique vinca on the market today! Well-branched floriferous plants produce abundant flowers, where each petal looks as if it has been inked or airbrushed with soft black brush strokes, grows 12" tall.
  18mg Package of about 25 seeds $3.95
LET810 Jaio Dark Red
2003 AAS Bedding Plant Winner. A really red vinca with a small white center sets this summer flowering vinca apart from all others. The large 2-inch blooms can cover the basal branching plant throughout the growing season. The glossy green foliage is not attractive to insects or larger mammals such as deer. When grown in a full-sun garden location, Jaio Dark Red plants can attain a mature plant height of 15 inches, spreading up to 20 inches. Extremely heat and drought tolerant, Jaio Dark Red provides constant garden color with minimal care.
  75mg Package ( about 75 seeds ) $3.95
LET293 Dwarf Little Blanche
Vinca Little white is a trouble-free delight in the flower garden. It begins blooming in early summer with big, pure white flowers. The flowers continue in full force for months, despite extreme heat, drought and poor soil. The plants are uniform and full. Periwinkle flowers attract butterflies, bees, and other pollinating insects with their nectar. This scented flower can also be used medicinally to treat a number of ailments such as, high blood pressure, sore throat, tonsillitis, toothaches, intestinal pain, and more.
This ground cover plant can be grown as a perennial in frost-free areas or an annual in cold winter zones. Grow Vinca Rosea as a houseplant during the winter months! It will keep on blooming despite heat and drought, making it a favorite in climates with long, hot, dry summers. The plants are both deer and rabbit resistant!
Height: 8 - 10 inches. USDA Zones: 3 - 10, or as annual.
  350mg Package ( about 250 seeds ) $3.95
LET294 Little Bright Eyes
This little annual is not shy about blooming! It can flower continuously for months no matter how hot the temperatures climb. Periwinkle easily establishes from ground cover seeds, and it is especially useful for the southern or desert climates or hard to maintain hot spots near a concrete wall or driveway. The flowers are white, 1 - 2 inches across, 5-petals and have a bright carmine red center. Periwinkle uses include: containers, window boxes, edging the front of the flower bed, and as a general ground cover plant. No deadheading is needed to keep the blooms coming!
  475mg Package ( about 250 seeds ) $3.95
LET296 Dwarf Little Delicata
What a versatile little gem of a plant that is easily grown from Periwinkle seeds! It has a lush foliage with shiny leaves plus it flowers heavily with large pink blooms. This annual is ideally suited as a ground cover plant for those hot, humid climates. Vinca Rosea grows 8 - 10 inches high, but it is a fast spreader and fills in spaces nicely making it perfect for beds, borders, and as a general ground cover plants. Start lots of these flower seeds and fill your flowerpots, hanging baskets, and window boxes with this carefree annual too! No deadheading is required to keep the blooms coming all summer and into the fall.
  350mg Package ( about 250 seeds ) $3.95
LET297 Dwarf Little Mix
This fabulous performer for the hot summer garden is grown from Periwinkle seeds. For hot southern, desert climates or a hard to maintain spot near a concrete wall or driveway, Vinca Periwinkle is your ground cover plant! It seems to perform the best when other plants are wilting from the heat.
This annual begins blooming extra-early with big flowers in dazzling colors, and it continues right up until fall frosts. The mix of blooms are 2 inches across and the colors range from white to deep rose with tones in-between. The blooms have a large center eye with a contrasting color and are just gorgeous. The foliage is uniform and neat with shiny leaves. Periwinkle uses include: edging the front of the bed or border, baskets, containers and an excellent ground cover plant.
  300mg Package ( about 250 seeds ) $3.95
SF394 Pacifica XP Icy Pink
Light pink with mid pink donut. Attracts Bees, Attracts Butterflies, Heat Tolerant, Low Maintenance.
Very floriferous and well-branched plants show off bright flowers with an overlapping, fully rounded form that won’t show gaps in hot temperatures. Season-long, high-impact color addition for late Spring and Summer gardens and containers. Loves the heat and is drought tolerant. Grows 10 to 14 inches tall, blooms in 14 weeks. Grow as annual.
  50mg Package ( about 30 seeds ) $2.95
SF411 CoraCascade Cherry
Features showy cherry red star-shaped flowers at the ends of the stems from late spring to mid fall. Its glossy oval leaves remain dark green in color throughout the year. Perfect for filling large beds, landscapes and baskets without bald spots. Plants grow well even in less-than-ideal conditions and are excellent for areas with extended periods of hot, dry weather. Height: 6-8". Spread: 32-36".
CoraCascade are F1, Vigorous trailing plants for baskets or beds, patented phytophthora resistance, heat and humidity tolerant
  10 seeds $3.95
D9931 CoraCascade Violet
Vigorous trailing plants are evenly covered with extra-large, glowing magenta blooms, filling large beds, landscapes and baskets without bald spots. Plants grow well even in less-than-ideal conditions and are excellent for areas with extended periods of hot, dry weather. Height: 6-8". Spread: 32-36".
CoraCascade are F1, Vigorous trailing plants for baskets or beds, patented phytophthora resistance, heat and humidity tolerant
  10 seeds $3.95
BM54 Pacifica Apricot Vinca ( Periwinkle )
Soft peach with dark red eye. 1½" flowers, overlapping petals, mounded habit, dark green leaf, grows 10" tall, blooms in 14 weeks, grow as annual.
  0.052g Package ( normally averages about 40 seeds ) $2.95
3202 Victory Blue Vinca ( Periwinkle )
Purplish blue with white eye, rare color, patented. Victory Series feature large 2" flowers, dark green leaf, compact habit, field trial award winner North and South, a major advance in Vincas, brilliant hot colors, grows 10" tall, blooms in 13 weeks, grow as annual.
  60mg Package ( normally averages about 30-35 seeds ) $2.95
3205 Victory Lavender Vinca ( Periwinkle )
Lavender blue with white eye, patented. Victory Series feature large 2" flowers, dark green leaf, compact habit, field trial award winner North and South, a major advance in Vincas, brilliant hot colors, grows 10" tall, blooms in 13 weeks, grow as annual.
  60mg Package ( about 30-35 seeds ) $2.95