Periwinkle or catharanthus - a creeping shrub covers the soil with a carpet of dark green glossy leaves, and its stems are strewn with flowers of a pale blue hue. Planting a periwinkle and caring for the plant in the open ground is a simple task, even for a novice gardener.

Varieties and varieties

There are species with pink or white petals. Among the species diversity, you can choose those representatives who will like the most.

  • The periwinkle is big. The plant reaches a height of 25 cm, inflorescences are larger than other representatives of the species. If it is properly looked after, then it will please the eye with flowering twice a year in late spring and early autumn.
  • Periwinkle grassy. Unstable to frost. Leaves differ in shape from other species, they are more rounded.
  • Periwinkle omitted. In winter, completely drops foliage, in severe cold it requires shelter.
  • Periwinkle. Up to -10 ° C does not drop leaves, blooms for a long time, but in more severe frosts it needs protection from the cold. Lateral shoots reach a length of more than a meter. The flowers are blue and quite small. This species is divided into the following subspecies:
  • a plant with terry inflorescences of white color;
  • this species is distinguished by leaves in the form of an ellipse with light veins, the inflorescences are bluish;
  • atropurpurea - on it are flowers of a periwinkle of a deep purple color.

Periwinkle - the nuances of growing

When planting a plant, a rather large area should be allocated for it, since under good conditions the cataractus grows actively. Periwinkle or as it is also called “witch violet” is a good honey plant that attracts many insects to the garden, which undoubtedly contributes to good pollination of its inhabitants.

For the proper development of the plant, the following recommendations should be considered when growing it:

  • it is best to sow this shrub for seedlings, and in the second half of March, because if you plant it earlier, it will grow too much and it will cease to have enough space in tubs;
  • planting material, as a rule, is characterized by good germination, but still, before sowing seeds, it is better to disinfect them in a solution of potassium permanganate or in biofungicides;
  • the soil must be well dug and organic fertilizers applied, and such a procedure must be done a week before planting;
  • after digging, it is worth sprinkling the soil with crushed charcoal, this will help avoid rot;
  • slightly acidic or neutral soils are suitable for periwinkle;
  • it is worth adding phosphate fertilizers before planting a periwinkle.

Outdoor landing

For a periwinkle, a shady slope and a sunny area are suitable, only the frequency of irrigation will depend on the location.

Features when landing in the open ground are as follows:

  • seeds are sown either in late spring or early autumn;
  • if planting occurs in the fall, it is important to calculate the time before the onset of frost so that the seedlings do not appear ahead of time, otherwise the whole shoot will die;
  • deepening of seeds by 1.5 - 2 cm;
  • it is important to provide the young plant with timely replenishment, but it is also impossible to overload the volume of nutrients;
  • watering is better when the topsoil dries;
  • after watering or rain, you need to carefully loosen the ground near the seedlings manually.

Periwinkle Care

Caring for a witch violet is simple, the main thing is to water the plant in a timely manner and make the necessary fertilizers.

1. Watering. If the spring-summer period passes with a sufficient amount of rainfall, then the periwinkle does not need additional moisture, but with a dry summer it will have to be watered. Moreover, for this plant it will be useful not only to water under the root, but also a full-fledged shower, which will help wash away the dust that has accumulated from the leaves.

2. Top dressing.

  • rotted cow manure + compost + leaf soil, such a mixture, taken in equal parts, will enrich the supply of nutrients of the cataranthus. It makes a nutrient mixture necessary after the snow has melted and before the plants hibernate;
  • mineral fertilizers should be applied three times during the summer. It is enough to sprinkle them under the bush when watering.

3. Trimming and pinching.

  • sanitary pruning is required;
  • too long shoots should be cut to avoid weakening branches and strong overgrowth of periwinkle.

Flower propagation

Periwinkle breeds in 4 ways:

  1. Cuttings. Young shoots are cut with a sharp knife. For a couple of hours, they must be lowered into a biofungicide, then into a solution that stimulates the formation of roots. Next, a landing hole is organized in which a little coarse sand and organic fertilizer are introduced. Before planting, a moist shoot is dipped in dry sand and placed in a landing hole. Holding the stalk strictly vertically, you need to properly compact the soil around the young plant, in order to avoid the appearance of air pockets. Watering is done after planting and after that the soil is compacted again.
  2. The seeds. This method involves planting seedlings. Planting boxes are filled with light soil mixed with peat. To a depth of 1.5 cm, seeds are planted and sprinkled with loose soil on top. For a week the box closes with a dense dark film. Daily drawer must be ventilated and sprayed soil from the spray. A pick is made when four leaves appear.
  3. Division of a shrub. A simple way, when a shovel separates part of the plant and transplanted to a prepared place.
  4. Bends. If you do not want to cut the shrub very much, then from long shoots you can get branches. The shoots are dug up, and after rooting, they are transplanted to the right place.

Pest and Disease Control

The plant is susceptible to powdery mildew and rust, these fungal diseases can completely destroy the periwinkle, so at the first signs of infection, the entire shrub should be treated with fungicides.

If appeared, aphids or scale insects, then this indicates a strong overmoistening of the plant. And if you can get rid of aphids after treatment with a soapy solution, then, as a rule, there is no salvation from the shield, and the plant needs to be destroyed sooner until the pest has infected the entire garden.

It is important to remember that the risk of infection is high in flowers with weak immunity, growing in the absence of nutritious dressing. Therefore, if the periwinkle will be properly cared for, then basically the disease is avoided.

Periwinkle in landscaping

 

Since the plant is ground cover, when used in landscape design it is better to sow it in the foreground or decorate unsightly places on the site. Do not forget that, growing, a periwinkle can destroy other plantations, so when choosing neighbors it is necessary to take them to a decent distance. Periwinkle in a short time forms around itself a thick green carpet with bright interspersed inflorescences.

 

The nice thing is that growing periwinkle is a simple task, so even those gardeners who cannot pay enough attention to caring for a plant may well add it to their collection. Flower beds, rabatki, alpine hills, the base of pergolas, and all other objects of small garden architecture can be decorated with a flowering periwinkle.

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