Vinca minor
Dwarf Periwinkle
Apocynaceae
Evergreen, Perennials
VINCATrailing, arching stems that root where they touch soil make these plants useful as ground and bank covers. Shiny dark green, oval to oblong leaves. Lavender-blue, five-petaled, pinwheel-shaped flowers appear in leaf joints in early spring. Plant the larger species and its varieties 2–2 1/2 ft. apart, dwarf kinds 1/2 ft. apart. When plantings mound up or are layered with old stems, shear or mow before new spring growth begins. Will grow in almost any soil. Compete successfully with surface tree roots.
Miniature version of V. major, with 3/4–1 3/4-in.- long leaves, flowers to 1 in. wide, and a height of just 4–6 in. More restrained, less likely to invade adjacent plantings.
Brimeura amethystina
European native for rock gardens or naturalizing. In bulb and leaf, resembles small hyacinth, but 10-i...
Nepeta cataria
From the Mediterranean and western Asia. To 2–3 ft. high and wide, with downy, heart-shaped, too...
Geranium himalayense 'Gravetye'
Dependable selection typical of the species.
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