How To Grow Beautiful Annual Vinca
Vinca love it sunny and hot and, once established, generally prefer not to stay constantly wet. Their dark, glossy-green foliage and bright flowers add beautiful color to East Texas flower beds and containers throughout the warm season.
They bloom consistently through summer, tolerate our heat extremely well, and don’t require regular deadheading to keep producing flowers.
Vinca Don’t Like Wet Feet!
One thing Vinca definitely don’t like is poorly drained, constantly wet soil. Excess moisture around the roots can contribute to yellowing, wilting, root and stem rots, and other disease problems.
However, don’t assume that every yellow Vinca is simply being overwatered. Yellow foliage can have several causes, including root problems, nutrient issues, disease, or other plant stress. Check the soil moisture, drainage, roots, and overall condition of the plant before deciding what it needs.
When drainage is the problem, Vinca can seem to almost melt away (like the Wicked Witch who had water issues too!), so choosing the right planting location from the beginning can make a BIG difference.
Good Drainage Is the Key
If your flower bed tends to remain wet after rainfall, planting Vinca in a properly prepared raised bed or berm can help improve drainage around the root system.
Simply adding a small mound of soil on top of a seriously waterlogged area won’t solve an underlying drainage problem. If water regularly collects in the bed, address the drainage issue itself before planting.
For containers, always use a quality potting mix and make sure the pot has unobstructed drainage holes.
Watering & Feeding Vinca
Vinca are heat tolerant, but newly planted Vinca still need consistent moisture while their roots become established. Once established, allow the soil to begin drying between waterings rather than keeping it continuously saturated.
Containers may need to be checked more frequently during hot East Texas weather because potting mix can dry much faster than garden soil.
If fertilizer is needed, choose a product appropriate for flowering annuals and follow the label for application rates and frequency. Avoid automatically fertilizing every week unless the particular product recommends that schedule.
Trailing or Cascading Vinca
Trailing Vinca offers the same heat-loving performance and beautiful flowers with a completely different growth habit. Instead of remaining primarily upright, these varieties spread and cascade as they grow.
You’ll find trailing varieties in many of the same beautiful colors as upright Vinca.
Where to Use Trailing Vinca
Trailing Vinca is perfect for hanging baskets and containers, where the stems can spill over the sides and create a full display of flowers.
Use it as the Spiller in a Thriller, Filler, Spiller combination, or plant spreading varieties in landscape beds where they can create a colorful mass of blooms.
The amount of trailing or spreading growth varies by variety and growing conditions, so give plants enough room to reach their mature size.
Made for an East Texas Summer!
With plenty of sunlight, good drainage, and appropriate watering, Vinca are some of the most dependable warm-season annuals for our East Texas heat.
Whether you choose an upright variety for flower beds and pots or a cascading variety for baskets and containers, they’ll provide beautiful color throughout the warm season and into fall.