We were given some variegated Vinca, but not only was it not invasive, I couldn't even get it to grow!

I have a small pile of it growing in a corner at the back of the house. I love to use it in my window boxes and hanging baskets. Each year a give it a heavy pruning and dig up the runners, even spray a bit of it with vinegar to keep it in check.

DH really hates it, but I love the blue flowers it produces in the spring. After it blooms, I usually pull it up or prune it back. It's back the next year, but I don't mind. It helps with the erosion in my slopey (some will read this as sloppy) garden!

I think like anything else in the garden it all has to do with location, location, location. I have several plants that can be very aggressive growers but in the right location they work just fine for me. In another garden or location they would be a serious problem.

I would definitely agree with that, Holly.

It's a fabulous groundcover in my daughter's garden in Salt Lake City. In the spring when the tulips and daffs come up from under it, it's just lovely. If the weather stays cool, the late tulips coincide with the vinca flowers sometimes, too.

Since it is basically a desert there, we control the spread of the vinca just by not watering. It will go as far as the irrigation goes, then stop. I put in micro-irrigation so that we can really control where the water goes very well.

Any good groundcover needs to have at least a bit of an invasive tendency, jmho. Otherwise it won't do its job of covering the ground! So you should expect to do some control measures, and be careful not to let it 'escape'.

Certainly wasn't invasive for me! Although it did last for a couple of years and sent out a few runners. Really pretty, I may try it again if I come across some.

I have some in a shady area with really poor soil that I haven't been able to grow anything else in. I am watching it VERY carefully to make sure it doesn't spread to my beds. I keep hearing it called "scary vinca" which makes me nervous... So it's here now, but I may be sending it to @woofie tomorrow if I find something better/less scary.

Woofie, It may not over winter for you hardness is Zone 6. Maybe if you have a good micro-clime you might be able to keep it going year to year.

It can be a challenge to control. The previous owner of my home planted some to hold a slope in place between the street level of my property and the house pad. It has spread over the top of the slope to grow under the dogwood tree at the top, but it has never spread to the park across the street or to any of my neighbors properties.

I've tamed it somewhat since this photo was taken and the rose is much, much larger now that it has a bigger deer cage:




Smiles,
Lyn

@Marylyn , it doesn't scare me! Send away!

I have to say I had 'scary' vinca. I got a pot with a combination of plants for my birthday several years ago, with the variegated vinca as a spiller plant, hanging out of the pot. The pot was placed on a low step near my back garden bed. The vinca grew out of the pot, into the garden bed, rooted and took off. It grew, and grew, and grew. Initially, I thought it was very pretty, as ground cover under my roses and peonies. However, I changed my mind when it grew up and over the roses and peonies, and I constantly had to pull it some of my potted plants where it snuck in from the bottom of the pots.

It took over my L shaped garden bed that had roses, peonies, and lilies. It grew under my Aborvitaes, and started growing over my retaining wall, and showed up in the bed outside of my daylight basement, well away from where the original plant started. Although I like the leaves and the lovely blooms, it proved to be too much in my garden, and it was eradicated this year.

I think you're in a good zone for it to do that.

Cem, I think my more northern Zone isn't as hospitable.

Love the variegation but I think it would on the scary side for my zone

I snipped one long strand from a hanging planter at a shopping center a few years ago and planted it in a pot in the back yard. It hit the ground running last year, so I have to rip out the runners and find a more appropriate place for it. We have a 'slopey' back yard that it would be perfect for!

Cem9165 said:I have to say I had 'scary' vinca. I got a pot with a combination of plants for my birthday several years ago, with the variegated vinca as a spiller plant, hanging out of the pot. The pot was placed on a low step near my back garden bed. The vinca grew out of the pot, into the garden bed, rooted and took off. It grew, and grew, and grew. Initially, I thought it was very pretty, as ground cover under my roses and peonies. However, I changed my mind when it grew up and over the roses and peonies, and I constantly had to pull it some of my potted plants where it snuck in from the bottom of the pots.

It took over my L shaped garden bed that had roses, peonies, and lilies. It grew under my Aborvitaes, and started growing over my retaining wall, and showed up in the bed outside of my daylight basement, well away from where the original plant started. Although I like the leaves and the lovely blooms, it proved to be too much in my garden, and it was eradicated this year.

The original owners of my house planted vinca as a groundcover (not variegated, I don't think, but vinca major)... It's one of the things I regret their doing (I don't have many regrets on how they did things, but that's definitely one).

Can anyone suggest something I could oversow that would choke it out?

No I don't think you will be able to choke it out. Only way to get rid of it will be pulling it up or using a spray like round up.