The Virginian-Pilot: Gardening Q & A: Among the many kinds of vinca, are some perennial? Gardening Q & A: Among the many kinds of vinca, are some perennial? Container gardening has become so much more chic than red geraniums, vinca vines trailing over the edge, and a green spike in the middle for height.

Understanding the Context

In addition to the scads of new annual flowers ... Variegated vinca goes by many names. It’s a variegated form of Vinca major, also known as greater periwinkle. It’s also known as bigleaf periwinkle (Vinca major ‘Variegata’), and the “variegated” part ...

Key Insights

Q. I just planted a flat of vincas in my condo flower bed as I do every year. They really flourish and are good until late October when I pull them up. A few of the white variety seem to come back in ... When you hear perennial, you probably think of peonies rather than pines.

Final Thoughts

The word today typically describes (or, as a noun, refers to) plants that die back seasonally but produce new growth in the spring. For a low-maintenance garden filled with nonstop color and charm, plant these perennial flowers. They are easy to grow and guaranteed to come back every year! Perennial plants can be short-lived (only a few years) or long-lived. They include a wide assortment of plant groups from non-flowering plants like ferns and liverworts to highly diverse flowering plants like orchids, grasses, and woody plants.