Sun Lovers

Ive been going through alot of older photos of late and I came across this little gem. I cant recall if I have posted this picture already on the blog back when I started it over a year ago, so if its a repeat, I do apologise.

The plant is a vinca. They can be a little bi-annual plant (an annual plant that can last for 2-3 seasons) if you look after them. They have a bad habit of developing mould in the winter, which is why we typically use them in the Summer annual plantings. If you spot mould, cut the plant back by about 2/3 and spray it with a copper based fungicide. They thrive in rich soil, but will grow in most soils. They seed quite readily and even thought we havent got any beds of vincas in this summers annual beds, we are getting a couple pop up the displays last year. They have an interesting smell to them. Not unpleasant, but dont go expecting the delight of roses.

One thing to watch, they do have a habit of going a bit yellow when nutrients are in short supply. A good dose of organic matter in the form of manure or compost will fix this up. Alternatively, you could just liquid fertilise once a fortnight, they will look quite magnificent.