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Landscaping with Myrtle: The Sorcerer's Violet

Image Credit:
Photo by Nicholas A. Tonelli: Wikimedia Commons
Written By: George and Becky Lohmiller

Myrtle (Vinca spp.) is among the hardiest of evergreen ground covers, hardy to Zone 4 and growing as far north as Canada. It can be invasive in certain areas.

Myrtle, Also Called Vinca or Periwinkle

Its bright-green leaves darken with the season, sometimes taking on a bronze tone under the winter sun. Lavender-blue or white flowers appear in the spring and sporadically all season.

  • Spring and early fall are considered the best times to plant myrtle.
  • It prospers in dappled sunlight but will also grow in full sun and even in dense shade.
  • Use it instead of mulch under trees and shrubs to control weeds, or plant it in difficult-to-mow areas. Myrtle’s tenacious root system makes it an ideal choice for controlling erosion on steep banks.
  • Prepare the ground by tilling in a one-inch layer of peat moss or compost and an application of complete 5-10-5 fertilizer to a depth of six inches.
  • Space the young plants or divisions about eight inches apart. When you are finished, soak the entire planting, and mulch the area lightly with pine needles or bark.
  • Water and weed the planted area frequently during its first season. Soon new shoots will spread out and root into the spaces between the plants, spreading joy all over the ground.

Myrtle Folklore: The Sorcerer’s Violet

A thousand years ago, the sorcerer’s violet, what we now call periwinkle, vinca, or myrtle, was shrouded in superstition:

  • English herbalists believed that the trailing evergreen ground cover could be gathered only on the 1st, 9th, 11th, or 13th day of the Moon by a person cleansed of all impurities.
  • Those who carried the plant believed that they were protected from the devil and safe from the bites of rabid dogs and venomous serpents.
  • The Scots named this powerful plant joy-of-the-ground. They believed that marital bliss would be ensured if the leaves were ground to powder and taken at meals in a freshly picked houseleek that contained worms. (We have a hunch that a lot of Scottish couples endured unhappy marriages rather than brave the cure.)
Landscaping

About The Author

George and Becky Lohmiller

George and Becky Lohmiller

George and Becky Lohmiller shared their gardening knowledge and enthusiasm with Almanac readers for more than 15 years, writing Farmer’s Calendar essays and gardening articles in previous editions of ...

Read more from George and Becky Lohmiller

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Comments

<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Wed, 06/07/2017 - 12:00

Hi, Frank: It's hard to say how to do this. A lot depends on how big your spot is and what its configuration is. If the weeds are intermixed with vinca, then the only way might be to very painstakingly apply organic weed killer to individual unwanted guests--or else just pull them out, with roots. An alternative method is just starting from scratch, and planting the vinca in heavy mulch or plastic sheeting in order to deter other weeds. But to get to this stage, you have to dig up everything and then make sure nothing viable remains in the soil (cover it with plastic for a while). Any way you address it, this is a tough task! Thanks for asking and good luck!

 <span>Rita</span> Wed, 06/29/2016 - 14:46
I have a very steep, mostly shady 300 sq. ft. area that needs ground cover. I'd like to plant Vinca this fall. I have two questions: 1) What is the least expensive way/most effective way to buy this? Bare roots? Full plants? 2) Any ideas of inexpensive sources? I'm on a really tight budget and everywhere I've looked will cost $800 - $1000. Can't afford that! 3) If I can't get Vinca in my price range, do you have any other ideas?
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Wed, 06/29/2016 - 16:43

First, ask around to see if anyone you know has an established patch of vinca; digging some clumps from other people's gardens is a great way to start. You can also buy flats of vinca (that price quote was probably for potted plants). Bareroot is a good way to go (look into Lucy's Wholesale Vinca--she sells to individuals too).

 <span>Sharon Lomas</span> Fri, 06/17/2016 - 14:00
Hi there, thanks so much for posting your info! I have a garden full of periwinkle ground cover which was beautiful when it was a shade garden. It still is, but I recently had a windstorm take down a Maple and most of a 60 year old Magnolia. The result is that my garden is no longer shaded, and needs extra planting. I'm wondering if you know of any perennials that can work well planting with the periwinkle?
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Mon, 06/20/2016 - 13:25

Sorry about your tree. Be aware that the periwinkle's quite thick stem/root matting may be a challenge to some plants over time. Single stem plants may do better than those that clump. With that in mind, it might be better if you make clearings for other plants amid the vinca. That would give you more options. With that in mind, here are a few ideas: http://www.almanac.com/content/garden-plans-perennials

 <span>Laura</span> Sun, 05/29/2016 - 14:04
The article is so interesting! I need to find a way to surround my outdoor plants from the weeds. Example: rose bushes & Cercis Canadensis with some Tiger Lilies. Will using periwinkle eventually suffocate them?
<span>Kyleen B</span> Fri, 04/08/2016 - 19:32
Our flower beds are 16 years old - last year for some reason the Myrtle ground cover started spouting up EVERYWHERE in all my flower beds in front and back yard. Thinking it made it there via some mulch we put down. However, my flower beds are not designed for ground cover - I have dug 6-10 roots for hours on end the past two years - bags full of roots. Was told by landscaper that the only way to get rid of it is to dig up all our flower beds and completely start over with new dirt and plants. We have $1000's invested over the years in our flower beds. How can I get rid of this stuff without killing all my flowers? Have used roundup in one corner where no plants are - only the ground cover - died for a little while but was back. Please help.
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Mon, 04/11/2016 - 15:22

The only way we know of to get rid of vinca is to pull it out entirely. Dig down deep to get all of the roots. You must remove every scrap of vinca. After you have removed all trace of the plant, treat the soil where it was living with RoundUp.

 <span>Wendy S Ansley</span> Mon, 06/25/2018 - 17:17
No, no, no, no, no. Round up is known to cause Lymphoma which you then need chemotherapy made from the leaves of the vinca.
<span>Anne Nelson</span> Fri, 10/30/2015 - 18:41
I have a sheltered bed that is filled with myrtle and some hostas around the edges. My mother told me that mulch provides great fertilizer for myrtle, that the nutrients from decomposing mulch nourishes the myrtle. Will spreading a layer of fallen maple leaves be protective and nourishing to the myrtle, or will it cause it to get a fungus or be smothered? (I'm in central Ohio)