Scrapbook image

Your scrapbook

Forgotten your details?

Enter your email address and we'll send your username and password to you

London

  • Partly CloudyToday
    6°C/13°C
  • FairTomorrow
    4°C/12°C
  • See Gardeners'
    7-day forecast

Our Gardeners' 7-day forecast warns you of changing weather conditions (including frost, high wind and drought) and suggests actions to take to protect your plants.

Advertisement

Problem solving

Vinca or periwinkle

Symptoms

With its arching, rooting stems, vinca, or periwinkle, will race around the garden and cover the ground in no time.

Find it on: all over the garden

Time to act: spring to autumn

Vinca or periwinkle

Vinca major or periwinkle is a pretty, low-growing plant often with pale blue flowers that is used as a ground cover plant because of its mat-forming properties. However, it can be very invasive, and will rapidly spread around the garden if it is not kept under control. Vinca minor, which is a neater plant with smaller leaves, is much less invasive and a better choice for ornamental use.

Solution

Organic

The best organic control is digging the plant out and trimming it to keep it in check if you don't want to remove it altogether. If it spreads onto the lawn it can be controlled by mowing.

Chemical

If you don't want to dig it out, you can spot-treat the plant using a total weedkiller such as glyphosate. Avoid spraying on a windy day and near other desirable plants.

Advertiser Links

Subscribe to the magazine

October edition of Gardeners' World Magazine

In October...
The October issue is on sale from 30 September. Subscribe today and receive the next three issues of Gardeners' World magazine for just £1.

The UK's number 1 gardening magazine

TV & Radio

Television icon

What's on this week

Find out what gardening programmes are on TV and radio this week. And read more about the Gardeners' World programme.

Offer

Planter

Buy six agapanthus plants for £12.98.

BBC Magazines

© BBC Magazines Ltd. BBC Worldwide Ltd.

The BBC Gardeners' World Magazine word mark and logo are trademarks of BBC Worldwide Ltd.

BBC Magazines is owned by the BBC and our profits are returned to the BBC for the benefit of the licence-fee payer.