Periwinkle: growing, planting and care. Periwinkle - medicinal properties of periwinkle herb, use in folk medicine Periwinkle when it blooms

The Kurtaceae family includes a subshrub with beautiful graceful flowers - the small periwinkle.

It is also called ivy, green grass and even grave grass.

The magical and medicinal properties of plants have gained fame in folk medicine.

Amazing survivability

The name “periwinkle” comes from the Ukrainian language and literally means “bright wreath.”

Indeed, the plant blooms with delicate lilac flowers.

Among its advantages are rapid adaptation to any living conditions, unfading foliage and medicinal properties.

The medicinal purpose of periwinkle was known many centuries ago.

It was even endowed with magical powers and worn as a talisman to protect against evil sorcerers.

European girls used the flower for fortune telling and called it the witches' violet. If someone was sentenced to death, then before killing, they threw a periwinkle petal into boiling lard.

The petal lies - the condemned man is not guilty; bounces off the squealing oil - the culprit is burned at the stake.

Alpine people used bouquets hung in front of their homes to protect themselves from lightning.

Ukrainian brides were put lilac wreaths on their heads, and the newlyweds were showered with petals, wishing them happiness and longevity.

In the 18th century, the ability of periwinkle to calm and reduce high blood pressure was discovered (the symptoms and treatment of kidney disease with folk remedies are written in the article).

Preparation secrets

For medicinal purposes, the lesser periwinkle is collected in May-June, when it blooms and bears fruit.

For harvesting, they take not only flowers, but also leaves and stems of the plant. The shoots need to be cut and not uprooted, otherwise the periwinkle will die.

Extraneous shoots and wilted leaves are removed, then the raw materials are dried in the open air. It is best to spread it on gauze placed on the grass.

Drying takes no more than seven days if the weather is good. If it rains, periwinkle is laid out in rooms that are constantly ventilated, or outside under a canopy.

The finished raw material does not smell, but tastes bitter. The herb is placed in a glass container and stored for two years. Periwinkle is a poisonous plant, so you need to be careful with him.

Useful composition

Lesser periwinkle contains a lot of useful acids:

amber,
ursolova,
apple

The plant is rich in vitamin C, carotene, tannins.

Alkaloids, of which there are more than 20 types, stop the growth of malignant tumors.

The action of cardiac glycosides is aimed at.

Pectin removes poison from the body and reduces cholesterol levels.

Areas of application

Periwinkle dilates the blood vessels of the brain and heart, causes uterine contractions, and relieves tension in the intestinal muscles.

Traditional healers use the plant to relieve pain, treat bronchitis, migraines, malaria, and eliminate bad breath.

Periwinkle is used to get rid of male impotence (recipes for treating impotence with nettles have been published) and to relieve cold symptoms. It is also used to treat diabetes mellitus.

External use helps stop bleeding.

Oral inflammation removed by rinsing, and lotions with medicinal herbs are applied to wounds and eczema.

Among the medicinal abilities of periwinkle are the following:

supplies oxygen to the brain;
improves heart function;
tones veins;
relieves spasms of muscle arteries;
fights harmful microbes;
helps with diarrhea (will help);
has a diuretic effect.

The plant is used to treat eye diseases (), especially if there is vasospasm or impaired blood flow in the retina.

Periwinkle copes with:

osteochondrosis,
infantile neuritis of the facial nerve,
restores brain function after injuries and illnesses ().

Among the diseases that the medicinal plant is aimed at treating are:

These and other complex diseases are treated with the use of drugs that contain periwinkle ( Vinkamin, Devinkan and etc.).

Women use the plant to prepare a decoction. With its help, they improve complexion, restore elasticity and velvety to the skin.

There are a lot of traditional medicine recipes using periwinkle.

We present the main and most effective of them.

Stop internal bleeding A decoction helps, for the preparation of which you need:

grass with flowers (30 grams),
boiling water (350 ml).
Boil the periwinkle under a closed lid in a water bath for 10 minutes.
After cooling, pass through cheesecloth.
Take half a glass three times a day.
External wounds are also moistened with this decoction:
ulcers, redness of the skin due to dermatitis.

You will need:

200 ml of water and a tablespoon of chopped leaves.
Boil for 20 minutes, cool, pass through cheesecloth, then add another glass of chilled boiled water.
Take a third of a glass three times a day.

This decoction will help cope with:

constipation,
hypertension,
tuberculosis,
bronchitis,
sexual impotence,
colitis (read about the diet),
relieve toothache,
speed up metabolism,
slow down the development of cancer.

The decoction is also used externally: it is used to wipe the skin in cases of dermatosis. To treat a sore throat, they gargle with it.

For rinsing and fighting gum disease periwinkle is boiled in wine or milk at the rate of:

10 grams of plant per 2 cups of liquid.
Boil for 10 minutes, then leave to brew for another 20 minutes.
After straining, squeeze well, add boiled wine/milk to make 200 ml of decoction.
They also treat asthma.

Purulent wounds on the skin clean and tighten with periwinkle tincture:

1 tbsp. l. herbs are poured into 200 ml of boiling water.
Without removing from the stove, leave for about five minutes, then cool, pass through gauze and apply to the wounds.

Patients with cancer Vinca-based products help slow down the growth of tumors (for cancer). For preparation take:

flowering shoots of periwinkle (50 grams),
insist on vodka (half a liter) for 7 days in a warm place.
Shake the container every day.
After a week, filter the tincture, squeeze out the remainder and drink twice a day, 5-7 drops before meals.
Be sure to drink water.

Coping with leukemia and lymphocytic leukemia The following infusion helps:

If boils have formed on the skin, they are treated with periwinkle tincture with vodka. Prepare like this:

fill a half-liter jar with periwinkle leaves to one quarter,
pour vodka (half a liter),
close the container tightly with a lid,
placed in a place where the sun's rays do not penetrate.
After 9 days, take out the medicine and wash the boils with it 2-3 times a day.

For the treatment of diathesis Children use an ointment prepared from periwinkle leaves:

Rub 9 leaves in your palms and add melted butter (a tablespoon),
everything is melted again,
cool for a quarter of an hour,
passed through gauze.
The mixture is used to treat areas of redness.

Normalize high blood pressure You can use a complex of herbs, including periwinkle:

periwinkle and white mistletoe () - a tablespoon each;
valerian officinalis (instructions for using the tincture for children are written) two level tablespoons;
hawthorn (3 spoons).

Everything is finely crumbled, mixed, and poured with boiling water according to the following calculation:

tablespoon of collection + 2 cups boiling water,
infuses for an hour
filtered.
The collection is drunk for about a month, three times a day, 1/3 cup an hour after meals.
After completing the course, in order to maintain the effect, the infusion is taken for another 10 days each month.

Danger during use

Lesser periwinkle is a poisonous plant. It can be used, especially internally, only when prescribed by a doctor and in strictly observed dosages.

Consumption of the plant in excess of the norm can lead to dire consequences. Women expecting a child should absolutely not take periwinkle.

The famous folk healer reveals in this video the secrets of preparing the tincture and using Vinca minor.

It is unlikely that any other plant has undeservedly received so many unflattering names as the periwinkle flower. “Witch’s violet”, “coffin-grass”, “eyes of the devil”, “burial ground”, as they called it in ancient times. The Celts instilled a similar attitude towards this beautiful plant, attributing to it witchcraft powers and a connection with the other world. Perhaps this was due to the fact that they preferred to plant it on graves, so that its green leaves and bright flowers would cover the cemetery ground, somehow decorating such a sad place.

But long before them, the periwinkle flower, the photo and description of which are given in this article, acquired a completely different kind of reputation. For example, the ancient Greeks called it the “violet of love” and wove it into the wreaths of the bride and groom, believing that the longevity of the flower would preserve their love for many years.

Nowadays, the periwinkle flower is a common garden plant, which many gardeners love for its unpretentiousness and beauty.

Description of the flower

This plant is not uncommon both in the southern regions of Russia, Belarus and Ukraine, and in more northern regions and countries. Most often, in flower beds in parks or alpine hills in personal plots, you can find a creeping type of flower. The description of periwinkle comes down to only two species, although there are several varieties of this plant, including hybrids:

Vinca major is a large periwinkle, the stems of which can reach a meter in height, although specimens 25-60 cm in height are more common. It has glossy leaves up to 8 cm long, large flowers, often of a sky blue hue. It prefers warmth, therefore it is common in the southern regions; it tolerates both the scorching steppe sun and partial shade.
Vinca minor - small periwinkle - is a creeping subshrub, rarely reaching a height of 25 cm. It has small bright green leaves 4 cm long and medium-sized flowers. It tolerates frost well, so it does not need additional shelter.

The remaining types of periwinkle flower are hybrids, but in general there are only 12 varieties of this beautiful and unpretentious plant in nature, which is extremely small on a global scale.

Varieties of periwinkle

Although there are not so many varieties of this plant, they all enjoy constant love among landscape designers, and some of them also have healing properties:

V. pubescens - this is the Latin name for the pubescent periwinkle flower (photo below). Its peculiarity is the ability to take root where its creeping shoots touch the ground. Thus, this type of periwinkle quickly covers the entire free area with a green-blue “carpet”. It blooms with small single flowers of a blue hue, has the ability to shed foliage, and, despite the fact that its main place of growth is the Caucasus and equally warm places, it is better to cover the bare stems in winter if it is grown in a summer cottage.
Vínca herbacea - translated as herbaceous periwinkle. The flower grows in Southern and Central Europe, Asia Minor and Central Asia, found both in the steppe and meadow zones, and on the edges of forests and even in the mountains. This is a perennial herbaceous plant, the creeping stems of which take root in the soil at their apex. Its five-petal flowers are distinguished by a rich purple (or mixed with blue) color. Caring for the herbaceous periwinkle flower as such is not required; only in snowless, cold winters it is recommended to cover it with spruce branches.
Vinca rosea is characterized by a long flowering period: from the establishment of warm weather in spring until autumn. This rather large plant, reaching a height of up to 60 cm, stands out for its glossy green leaves with a white border and large pink flowers.

These are varieties of periwinkle that grow in open ground, both in the wild and in garden plots or flower beds in city parks.

"Savage" in a flowerpot

This is how this plant would grow in the wild if it weren’t for amateur flower growers and breeders. Indoor periwinkle is a variety of flowers, the varieties of which were bred by crossing its wild “relatives”. Among them:

Alba is the owner of beautiful flowers of pure white color.
Gold Vine is hard to miss as its leaves have a yellow streak on the leaves edged with delicate greenery.
Morning Glory is a vibrant beauty with purple-blue flowers.
Reticulata also stands out for its foliage, which has golden veins shining against a glossy green background.
Variegata (Elegantissima) - has leaves with a delicate creamy-white border in the middle and small spots.

Care and planting of periwinkle flowers in open ground and at home are different. Let's consider what should be done to make this plant a decoration for a flowerbed or garden.

Place and soil preparation for planting

As a rule, these flowers are unpretentious and not capricious, so even sandy soil, on which little grows, is suitable for them, but still heavy soil can significantly reduce their growth and flowering activity.

Typically, the periwinkle flower (the photo demonstrates this) is used to “decorate” unsightly places in a summer cottage or as a dividing strip between a garden path and a flower bed or garden, and they also make it into a background on an alpine hill, since the choice of place for this plant is not in priority. It feels good both in the sun and in partial shade, but in a heavily shaded place it will bloom worse.

That is why many landscape designers consider it a “lifesaver”, because where under the scorching rays not a single “noble” plant will take root, planting periwinkle flowers guarantees a landscape pleasing to the eye.

Sowing with seeds

The best period for planting this plant is spring, although early autumn is also suitable if the climate is mild and there is not even a hint of the first frost.

It is important to know: if you want to plant periwinkle in the summer, you should wait for cloudy weather or rain.

Sowing seeds does not require any additional manipulations if the land has been fertilized before. If not, then you should dig it up and add compost to the prepared area, then loosen it and make shallow furrows (1-2 cm). The sown seeds are sprinkled with soil and watered abundantly.

Care immediately after sowing the seeds is also not burdensome. You must remember to water the plants and lightly loosen the soil, but this is provided that the season is dry. If it rains at least periodically, then this stage of caring for the periwinkle flower (the photo above shows it in all its flowering glory) can be omitted.

Flower propagation

If there are no periwinkle seeds, then this flower can be propagated by dividing the bush, cuttings and layering.

If we are talking about a large or small variety of periwinkle, then cuttings are carried out in July, for which:

you should choose the longest shoots;
cut them into pieces containing 3-4 internodes;
distribute them over the prepared area (that is, dug up, fertilized and loosened) with a frequency of up to 20 pieces per square meter;
sprinkle each piece with soil and water generously.

It should be remembered that this is a place for obtaining rooted seedlings, which after 1.5 months will need to be transplanted to a permanent “place of residence” at a distance of 20-25 cm between the bushes.

The easiest and fastest way of propagation is by rooting cuttings, for which the stems should be pulled away from each other and the shoots on them should be sprinkled with soil. This type of propagation is suitable when the area of the site allows.

Dividing the bush, preserving an earthen ball with roots on each part of it, is carried out either in early spring or at the end of summer.

Plant care

Periwinkle is famous for its long flowering; even when cut and placed in a vase, it does not wither for up to 20 days or more with a minimum amount of water in it. For this to happen, the periwinkle flower requires care after planting. The photo below shows it in a flowerpot, which is easier to look after than a whole flowerbed. What to do if there is a lot of periwinkle and you want it to bloom as long as possible?

First of all, the soil should be fertilized, for which the following are suitable: organic matter (given twice per season), mineral fertilizers (diluted in water and watered the plants 1-2 times a month).
To prevent the periwinkle from “occupying” the entire area, it needs to be trimmed immediately after flowering, which will additionally form lush bushes.
Watering is carried out depending on the amount of precipitation. If the summer is dry, then you will have to water a couple of times a week during the period of flowering and active growth of the periwinkle, the rest of the time - as needed.

It is for this minimal care that many people love the plant, giving it a worthy place on their plot or windowsill.

Pests and diseases

Like other plants on the planet, periwinkle has a “set” of diseases and pests, although these are few, that can significantly shorten its lifespan.

The first ones who strive to feast on its leaves are aphids and scale insects. Fungal diseases will certainly make themselves felt if the plant finds itself in a humid environment (for example, with abundant watering).

Powdery mildew will go away on its own if the damage is minor, and the area with flowers is left without watering for a while; aphids and scale insects do not like soapy water. It is enough to dilute it and spray the plants as they leave it. If the fungal disease has spread to a large number of flowers, then you will have to treat the entire area with fungicides (for example, Karbofos or Topaz are suitable).

At home, you can wipe each flower with soapy water; this will make the glossy leaves of the periwinkle shine even more.

It is important to know: if the plot of land at your dacha is large and there is no time to cultivate it, then it is worth planting periwinkle on it. The plant will not tolerate a single weed near it, as it fills the soil with such a dense flowering “carpet” that no one can break through it.

"Getting along" with other plants

Since periwinkle grows so quickly, is it possible to plant other flowers next to it? This question interests many novice gardeners. Indeed, not everyone gets along with him, but they will be happy to be in his neighborhood:

lungwort;
hyacinths;
primrose;
forget-me-nots

It is useful to plant periwinkle around trees and shrubs, as it protects them from weeds and pests, while also serving as a decoration.

Some designers use periwinkle flowers as a kind of plant “blanket”, on top of which rise taller flowers or ferns that are less demanding to care for.

Periwinkle in folk medicine

Periwinkle has been used as a medicine since the time of Dioscorides (a doctor and pharmacologist in the Greek army who lived in 40-90 AD). At first, people believed that the long flowering of the plant could prolong their life, and to some extent they were right.

The alkaloid contained in the plant has a beneficial effect on the body's cells, preventing them from dividing incorrectly, thereby preventing the formation of cancerous tumors. In our time, this alkaloid in the form of an extract from a plant was used to produce medicine for malignant tumors until they learned how to synthesize it. But many homeopaths advise preparing decoctions and tinctures of periwinkle and taking it as a prophylactic, since no synthetic substance can ever compare in its properties with what is given by nature.

What you need to know about periwinkle

When caring for this plant, you should remember that it is poisonous. That is why he does not have many “enemies”. If you use it for medicinal purposes, you must consult your doctor and adhere to the dosage recommended by him.

Periwinkle (burying ground, ivy, chrysanthemum, blueberry) is a perennial herb or creeping subshrub of the Cutraceae family. The name of the plant comes from the word “Vínca”, which means “to entwine” in Latin. And indeed, the stems of grass spread along the ground, rapidly growing in width, forming a green carpet.

Periwinkle is common in North Africa, Europe and Asia. It is characterized by high survivability and the ability to adapt to harsh conditions. Since ancient times, the grass has been endowed with magical properties; it was considered a symbol of vitality. There is a belief that periwinkle flowers drive away evil spirits from the house. The plant was attached above the front door. This is how witches were identified. It is interesting that on the holiday of Ivan Kupala, wreaths are woven from blueberry and given to their betrothed as a symbol of endless love.

Today the plant has lost its mystical significance, but has acquired the glory of a decorative, medicinal representative of the species. Folk and traditional medicine use periwinkle for toothache, diarrhea, cerebrovascular accidents, neuritis and neuroses, bleeding, scurvy, leukemia.

Botanical description

Blueberry is a herbaceous plant with erect shoots, shiny leathery leaves of dark and light green color, which retain their shade even under the snow. Sometimes they are marked with a cream border. The flowers grow from the axils of the leaves, located oppositely on the shoots, solitary, lilac, blue, and rarely white and pink. The corolla is fused-petalled, funnel-shaped with a cylindrical tube. Stamens with thick bent filaments, anthers short, with extended ligament towards the top. There are two nectar glands, an ovary with 6-8 ovules. Khreshchatyk blooms in May. The fruits are two leaflets of a cylindrical configuration. Seeds without a tuft, with an embryo surrounded by endosperm.

Periwinkle grows near roads, in beech and oak forests, forming continuous thickets. It quickly takes root due to the node of its stem. Due to its unpretentiousness to environmental conditions, it is often planted in cemeteries as a sign of eternal love and good memory. A characteristic feature of the flower is that it is difficult to destroy.

Types and varieties

In the wild, there are several varieties of blueberry: herbaceous, pubescent, small and large. Nowadays, breeders have developed many new varieties with different shades of colors.

Home Recipes:

For internal bleeding. Method of preparation: boil 30 g of periwinkle herb in 350 ml for 10 minutes, cool, strain. Drink ½ glass 3 times a day. The decoction is also used to wash wounds.
For hypertension, bronchitis, colitis, impotence, esophageal ulcer. Prepare a decoction of small periwinkle leaves at the rate of 15 g of dry raw material per 200 ml of water. The principle of creating a drug is the same as in the first case. Drink 70 ml 3 times a day.

For dermatitis, wash the affected areas with a healing drink.

For impotence. Preparation principle: pour dry blueberry herb (100 g) with 40% (500 ml), leave for 14 days, shaking occasionally, strain. To improve sexual function, dilute 5 drops of tincture in a tablespoon of water, take in the morning and evening for 4 days. Then take a two-day break and repeat the course. To achieve positive dynamics of treatment, 3 cycles will be required.

In addition, periwinkle tincture is used externally to treat boils (2-3 times a day).

For allergic diathesis in children. To prepare the ointment you will need periwinkle leaves (9 pcs) and butter (15 ml). Mix the ingredients, melt, cool, strain. Apply the ointment to the affected areas of the skin.
For vegetative-vascular dystonia. Ingredients: common bark, roots of valerian officinalis, leaves of periwinkle and blood-red hawthorn (30 g each), caraway fruits (15 g), mistletoe herb (50 g). Mix the ingredients of the collection thoroughly, steam 15 g of the mixture in 200 ml of water, heat in a steam bath for a quarter of an hour, leave for 45 minutes, bring to the original volume. Take 100 ml three times a day for a month, then switch to a preventive maintenance dose, which involves regularly taking the decoction from the 1st to the 10th of each month.

Growing and care

Khreshchatyk is an unpretentious plant, easy to care for. Does not require special conditions for growth.

Periwinkle planting

Sow before winter or spring. If necessary, the seeds can be buried in the ground even on a rainy day in summer. The medicinal herb grows best in loose, fertile, well-drained soils with a neutral or slightly acidic reaction. If the soil is poor, it is first enriched with mature compost. The preferred place for planting semi-shrubs is shade or partial shade.

Seeds are planted 1 cm deep in the soil in furrows. After planting, water.

Periwinkle care

It comes down to pinching young and old shoots. These measures are necessary to enhance the tillering of the plant. Water only in case of prolonged drought, otherwise natural precipitation is sufficient. Interestingly, the plant gets along well with weeds, so they are removed only if they irritate.

Organic fertilizers in the form of leaf soil, compost and humus are preferred as top dressing. After mass flowering, the bush is trimmed, and plant remains are used as cuttings for propagating grass. The cut parts are planted in the ground in early September or May at a distance of 25 cm from each other.

Conclusion

Periwinkle is an evergreen shrub with branched stems. The main areas of plant procurement: Prykarpattya, Transcarpathia, Belarus, Moldova, Caucasus. The collection period for raw materials is May-June. Periwinkle has been used in medicine and pharmacology since the times of witchcraft. The herb contains 60 types of alkaloids that prevent cell division. These biologically active substances are included in immunosuppressants and anticancer drugs.

The most common types of blueberry are: small, large, herbaceous, pubescent and pink. All representatives of the Kutrov family have a healing effect on the human body: they lower blood pressure, normalize cerebral circulation, are used to treat diseases of the cardiovascular and nervous system, motor coordination disorders, osteochondrosis, complex pathologies of the nose, throat, ears (atrophic rhino-pharyngolaryngitis, vasomotor rhinitis, sensorineural hearing loss). In addition, decoctions and alcohol tinctures of cucumber are used externally in folk medicine to stop bleeding (uterine, nasal), improve the condition of the skin with dermatitis, wounds, eczema, rashes, itching.

Remember, periwinkle is a poisonous plant; before using the collection or preparations based on it, it is recommended to first consult with your doctor.

At all times, humanity has found use for periwinkle. It was considered a talisman against evil spirits and was used in magical practices and medicine. Nowadays, garden periwinkle has found wide use in landscape design due to its ground cover and beautiful flowers. Let's look at the varieties of periwinkle, description, and care rules.

Periwinkle flower/VINCA

The Latin word for periwinkle is Vinca, which means “to entwine.” This is perhaps the clearest characteristic of the plant. In the natural environment, there are 12 varieties of it. Among them there are perennial herbaceous, deciduous and evergreen subshrubs. They belong to the Kutrovye family. The geography of growth is quite extensive: Europe, the Mediterranean, North Africa, Asia.

The garden periwinkle leaf is elliptical in shape and located oppositely on the stem. The leaves have a waxy coating, which makes them shiny. Color ranges from dark to light shades of green, with some species having beige spots or edges.

The flowers of the plant are solitary and rather large, with five petals, growing from the axils of the leaves. They are found in pink, white, but most often blue or purple. They have funnel-shaped corollas. Mass flowering begins in the spring, but after the bulk of the flowers fade, individual specimens continue to delight the eye throughout the entire growing season. Its fruits are cylindrical leaflets.

It grows very quickly, covering the ground with a beautiful, colorful carpet. It can take root in a flower bed from any node on the stem; it takes root quickly, for which it is recognized as a symbol of vitality and vitality.

How to plant periwinkle

Periwinkle in the landscape

The plant is completely unpretentious and can be grown by a novice gardener. Even if left to the mercy of nature, it will not be lost. But in order to get a beautiful, well-groomed crop, growing garden periwinkle requires familiarization with some rules.

Select the landing time.

It is best to sow in spring or autumn, but if necessary, planting can be done in summer. The main thing is to choose the right weather - it should be a cloudy, or better yet, a rainy day.

We choose a landing site.

The unpretentiousness of periwinkle allows it to be grown on any soil, except for those that dry out completely in the summer. However, the culture prefers drained, non-acidic, fertile soils. It loves shaded areas, although it can survive in extreme conditions (in the scorching sun or in deep shade). Pears, cherries and apple trees will be excellent neighbors for flowers. The soil around these trees is considered most suitable for growing periwinkle. In addition, such a neighborhood will create a living mulch cover for fruit and berry trees, which protects against weeds and retains moisture in the ground.

When placing periwinkle in the garden, you should choose an elevated or flat area to protect the flower from the proximity of groundwater. Some plant species do not tolerate excessive moisture well. If the soil on the site is poor, it must be fertilized before planting.

Choosing a landing method.

If you have periwinkle seeds, you need to make shallow furrows about a centimeter deep, cover them lightly, and cover them with soil. Then moisten using a watering can with a nozzle for dispersing a water stream.

Vinca is propagated by both seeds and stem cuttings. Planting the latter in open ground is carried out in the spring, so that by the onset of cold weather the plant is fully formed and strengthened, but it is also possible in early autumn. The ideal cutting size is 15 cm, immersed in the ground up to the first pair of leaves, the distance between them should be at least 20 cm. If you need a denser flower-leaf carpet, then plant them at the rate of: 100 periwinkle seedlings per square meter of land.

How to properly care for periwinkle

Periwinkle is an unpretentious ground cover plant

The plant does not require special attention, so care in the open ground is extremely simple. Periwinkle does not need constant irrigation; natural precipitation is sufficient. But if the summer turns out to be hot and dry, the flower should be watered periodically. Do not forget that the plant needs a lot of moisture in the spring, when it is actively growing. You can enrich the water for irrigation with phosphates, then the periwinkle will bloom longer.

Gets along well with weeds. But in order to give the flowerbed a neat look, it is better to remove the weeds and enjoy the beauty of the flower.

Like any other plant, it will not refuse balanced feeding. For these purposes, you can use mineral fertilizers or (humus, compost, leaf soil). During the active growth of periwinkle, which occurs in mid-spring, you can fertilize the soil with urea at the rate of 30 grams per square meter. An already mature plant is fertilized with humus or peat compost. It is better to perform this procedure several times: at the beginning of summer and at the end. Mineral fertilizers are used regularly, every twenty days.

You can enhance tillering and prolong flowering by pinching. Moreover, this is true both for young shoots and for fully formed plants. The cuttings can be planted in the ground, the branches will take root. In addition, evergreen varieties are propagated by layering or root division.

Typically, periwinkle tolerates winter well, but it is better to cover the young plant with foliage. For this purpose, it is better not to use compost or peat, otherwise in the spring it will be difficult to free and clear the crop. To enjoy some periwinkle flowers during the cold winter months, you can transplant some of the plant into pots and keep them on the windowsill.

Diseases and pests

The most common diseases and pests affecting garden periwinkle shrubs are:

rust;
nematodosis;
powdery mildew.

To protect the plant from aphids, you need to use Karbofos or Fufan; fungicides will help in the fight against fungi. In case of rust damage, Bordeaux mixture or Kuproxat is suitable. And for powdery mildew, you should use Skor, Quadris, Topaz, Topsin or another similar drug.

Periwinkle: types and varieties of plants

Breeders supplemented the line of existing periwinkle species with new varieties. But among gardeners, the most valued species of garden periwinkle are those that are unpretentious to growing conditions.

Pink periwinkle (cayenne jasmine, catharanthus, lochnera, Madagascar vinca)

Periwinkle pink

Bush evergreen species, grows up to half a meter in height. The branched vertical stems are decorated with glossy leaves of a rich green color in the middle with a light stripe. The plant blooms from early spring until autumn with large pink flowers.

Large periwinkle

Great white-edged periwinkle

It has a rather long stem that can grow up to 40 cm in length and spread out in different directions from the root. Can reproduce by seeds, shoots and roots. The leaves are smooth, oval in shape, located opposite on the trunk. Rich green in color, shiny with fringe at the edges. The flowering period occurs in late spring and early summer. The flowers are large (up to 5 cm in diameter), purple in color with petals resembling blades. It tolerates severe frosts well and can be stored even under snow.

Periwinkle

This species belongs to perennial, shade-tolerant, creeping plants. It survives well in rocky areas and sandy soils, but prefers loose, moist soils. The height of small periwinkle can reach 50 cm, and its width reaches up to 70 cm. The leaves are oblong and wide. The flowers are blue, about 3 cm in diameter. This species blooms in mid-May and produces seeds in July. Presented in various garden forms:

variegated;
white-colored;
red;
terry red;
golden variegated;

Periwinkle pubescent

It predominates in the Caucasus, in its western part, where coastal forests are located. It takes root well in nodes on shoots in places of contact with the ground. The flowers are small, about three centimeters, open in late spring. The plant sheds its foliage for the winter.

Periwinkle herbaceous

Periwinkle herbaceous

Grows in Europe, the Carpathians, the Crimean Peninsula and the Caucasus. The stems grow 50 cm in height, the leaves are leathery, oblong, rich green. It blooms with blue flowers with pointed petals. Prefers sunny areas with dry soils; excess moisture is harmful to it.

Benefits of the plant

Periwinkle, whose medicinal properties have long been recognized, is widely used in pharmacology and folk medicine. It contains an alkaloid that actively prevents cell division. Due to this, it is included in many immunosuppressants and drugs designed to fight tumors. In the modern world, the substance is synthesized artificially, but medicinal periwinkle continues to be used in folk medicine, making useful tinctures and decoctions based on it.

Lesser periwinkle tincture

The plant helps get rid of many ailments: gastrointestinal pathologies, psychosis, migraines, osteochondrosis, hypertension, schizophrenia, ischemia, depression, vascular spasms, etc. The use is due to the presence of substances beneficial to the body in it:

periwinkle pubescent - pubescin, vinin;
pink variety - reserpine;
herbaceous periwinkle - rutin.

These glycosides help hypertensive patients normalize blood pressure. In addition, periwinkle contains mineral salts, sugars, organic acids, tannins, phenolic compounds, vitamins, anthocyanins, and steroids.

Vinca tincture helps stop bleeding, has astringent properties and kills pathogens. It is often used for uterine or intestinal bleeding. People use water extract to treat disorders of the stomach and intestines (gastroenteritis, dysentery), disruptions in menstrual cycles in women and erectile dysfunction in men.

Do not forget that periwinkle is a poisonous plant, so its use has contraindications. Expectant mothers are strictly prohibited from consuming it, regardless of the stage of pregnancy. An overdose of a drug based on a flower threatens to inhibit cardiac activity. It is necessary to strictly follow the dosage of the drugs and the doctor’s recommendations, especially for internal use.

Periwinkle in the landscape

In addition to its healing properties, periwinkle brings great aesthetic benefits. Its ability to grow in almost any soil will help hide unsightly places in your garden plot from prying eyes. Quickly gaining growth and spreading out in different directions, the flower will cover the ground with a dense carpet. Suitable for vertical surfaces (building walls, fences, gazebos). Looks beautiful in flower beds, in gardens between shrubs and fruit trees. The only drawback is that garden periwinkle grows quickly and can clog neighboring flowers. It is necessary to remove its excess in time, otherwise it may turn into an ordinary weed.

Periwinkle pleases the eye with its rich color and abundance of flowers. This is a very interesting garden plant that is valued all over the world. It can preserve the freshness of foliage and flowers for up to 20 days, which is the reason for its use in decorating rooms, making flower bouquets, and wreaths. The types and planting of Periwinkle flowers will be discussed below in the article.

Botanical description

Periwinkle flower type

The Periwinkle flower belongs to the genus of evergreen, bushy climbing herbaceous plants. Belongs to the Kutrov family. Africa and Europe are considered its homeland. The foliage is dense, green, shades depend on the variety and type. The leaves on the stems grow opposite each other. Some varieties have leaves with speckled or cream-colored edges.

Interesting!

This is a very life-loving plant. If periwinkle flowers are cut and placed in a vase with water, they will live as long as there is water in the container.

The flowers are always solitary, large, funnel-shaped with a cylindrical tube. The most common color is blue, but there are varieties of different colors, from white to purple. Abundant flowering occurs at different periods of spring, but when most of the flowers fade, the plant does not stop developing, foliage and stems develop, and some buds may appear until mid-summer. Fruits in cylindrical leaflets.

Types and varieties of Periwinkle

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Types and varieties of Periwinkle

There are more than 12 species of periwinkle in the natural environment. Scientists distinguish 5 types of this plant.

Large periwinkle - one of the most famous species. It is distinguished by its unpretentiousness and rapid growth. It grows up to 0.5 meters in height. Natural environment: northern Africa, Asia Minor and southern Europe. Leaves up to 5 cm, dense, leathery. The flowers are light blue, up to 5 cm in diameter. Flowering from late May or early June. There are varieties with yellow and white flowers. For the winter, it is recommended to cover it with spruce branches or something similar. Popular varieties include “Reticulata” and “Variegata”.
Periwinkle - another popular type. It is frost-resistant, unpretentious, and grows quickly. Its homeland is Asia Minor and Europe. The leaves are oblong, dense, dark green in color, and do not die off even in winter. Blooms from May to June. Single flowers of heavenly color with a diameter of up to 5 cm. Common varieties include: “Emily”, “Argenteo-variegata”, “Bowles` Variety”.
Periwinkle pubescent The largest distribution area is in the western Caucasus. It grows mainly in coastal forests. Blooms in early summer for a month. The shoots are straight and grow above the ground. The flowers are blue in color, 3 cm in diameter. The main feature is that the plant loses its foliage in the fall and needs shelter in winter.
Periwinkle herbaceous grows on the Crimean Peninsula, the Carpathians, the Caucasus and partly in Western Europe. Stems are meter long, creeping with small leathery leaves of dark green color. Flowering is annual, monthly, flowers are small, lilac-bluish. Doesn't like a lot of moisture.
Vinca difformis - an evergreen, climbing plant growing up to 2 meters in length. Distributed in North Africa, Southern Europe. Grows in shady areas. The leaves are shiny, on short stalks, ovoid, 2.5-7 cm long. Flowers with 5 petals, slightly asymmetrical, light blue (less often white). Blooms from February to May.

How to propagate periwinkle?

How is the periwinkle flower propagated? Many people say that this beautiful plant is, but how to propagate this beauty?

https://youtu.be/5XKykocZ0aU

The first option is to buy and sow seeds. This is done in early spring, when the temperature rises to +10 degrees, so that the seeds do not freeze. Of course, during the sowing period the ground must be warm enough. However, germination may be low if the seeds are poor, the weather is inclement, or there are insufficient nutrients in the soil.
Seeds can be sown not only in open ground, but also in large boxes to obtain seedlings. But this is a very lengthy process, which makes no sense if there is an area where you can immediately plant or sow the crop.
The third option provides higher guarantees. In this case, overgrown lashes are used for propagation. They are dug up, divided into parts with scissors and planted in the right places. This method is popular when selling seedlings. If the plant is grown for sale, such “cuttings” are simply planted in separate cups rather than in open ground; later they take root and are sold.
If you need to plant a plant not far from the mother plant, you can simply take the peg and bend it to the ground in the right place (without cutting it off), then it will soon take root. This method is usually used if the plant grows in the wrong direction.

Landing Features

Unlike many cover plants, periwinkle is not picky about growing. It can grow in a sunny or shady place, and even the winter cold does not frighten it. If you shovel snow in winter in the area where the plant grows, you can see its greenery. So periwinkle is a hardy crop, but how do you plant it?

The first thing you should decide on is the location and there are usually no special problems here. The plant grows well both in the shade and in the sun, as mentioned above. It is often used to “camouflage” unfavorable areas of the garden, covering the ground between other flowers and plants in a flower bed, between trees and shrubs. Any soil is suitable, but in heavy soil growth slows down and this should be taken into account.

Planting itself consists of preparing the soil (loosening the soil, clearing it of weeds, moistening it), sowing seeds or individual sprouts and compacting them with soil. After all this, you need to leave the plant to grow and take root, and only when it is clear that the crop has begun to grow, you need to start caring for it.

How to care for Periwinkle at home

Periwinkle at home

The periwinkle flower requires virtually no care, so it grows in the wild without human intervention. But if it is planted in a certain area (garden, flower bed, vegetable garden, personal plot), it needs to be looked after so that it has a rich color of leaves and flowers and grows only in the area allocated to it.

Watering is carried out whenever possible. In the wild, this plant gets enough rain, but when grown in a garden, it can be watered about 2 times a week. If you water more frequently, the plant will grow faster, and the flowers will bloom much more luxuriantly and brightly.
Home care does not require fertilizing. The fact is that the beauty of the plant is in the flowers, but if you feed it, it will grow greenery and not bloom. Therefore, there will be enough nutrients from the ground, especially since some substances will still end up on it when fertilizing nearby crops.
If weeds appear among the periwinkle “carpet”, they should be removed, but carefully so as not to pull out this flower along with them. Although usually weeds do not grow with periwinkle, since the latter densely “fills” the ground.
Loosening is not carried out, since there is simply no way to do it (the periwinkle flower entwines the ground).

The main disadvantage of periwinkle is its rapid growth. This plant can “capture” up to 7 square meters of land per season. When growing it, you need to be very careful and control its growth, otherwise the periwinkle will not only interfere with other crops, but will even crowd them out.

As the periwinkle grows, you need to control its growth. All excess shoots that grow in the wrong direction must either be redirected or trimmed.
Flowering occurs in mid-May. After this, the stems (with faded flowers) need to be trimmed, and if necessary, cuttings should be carried out (for propagation).
Of the pests, this plant is visited only by aphids; all other insects bypass it. A simple folk remedy can help against aphids - an infusion of laundry soap. As for diseases, they are not inherent in culture.

The meaning and use of the plant

Application of Periwinkle

Periwinkle is unusual in that it evokes rather contradictory emotions. Since ancient times, this flower has been called “burial ground”, “eye of the devil”, “witch’s violet”, “coffin-grass”, but at the same time it is considered valuable as a medicinal and ornamental plant.

According to one legend, the periwinkle flower, envying the beauty of the violet, complained to Flora about its difficult fate. She decided to take pity on him and endowed him with larger flowers and a longer flowering period so that people would not bypass him.
The Celts considered the “witch violet” a protective amulet. They wove it into clothes, wreaths, and hair as a sign of devotion and marital fidelity.
In ancient times, it was believed that this flower could “collect” and destroy evil spirits. It was hung above the front door so that guests would enter the house “cleansed” of evil and envy.

Interesting!

Since the periwinkle flower symbolizes affection and devotion, it is often planted on graves as a sign of memory and love, strong feelings.

In modern medicine and pharmacology this is a very valuable plant. Drugs made with it are often used in the treatment of oncology, nerve and mental diseases.

Periwinkle is often used by landscape designers to decorate garden areas, flower beds, rose gardens and other similar places. The advantage of the plant is that it looks good not only on horizontal surfaces, but also on vertical ones - supports, hanging flowerpots.