Alternatives to Periwinkle

Characteristics

• Part of the dogbane family, periwinkles grow rapidly in almost any soil and may become invasive. Vinca minor, the common periwinkle, is a fast-growing vine with slender stems that grow along the ground, putting down roots from its nodes. It's violet-blue flowers are funnel-shaped with a star-shaped mouth, and grow on shoots about 6 inches tall. The large periwinkle, vinca major, can reach a height of 12 inches with blue flowers and dark-green shiny foliage. Both types of periwinkles thrive in reasonably well-drained soil, and full sun or part shade conditions.

Spring Flowering

• Producing flowers in the spring, as periwinkle does, navelwort and creeping phlox make excellent alternatives for periwinkle. Navelwort grows to a height similar to periwinkle, and develops bright blue flowers throughout the spring. It prefers cool, moist soil, where dense, weed-proof clumps of foliage provide a backdrop for the loose clumps of flowers. The "Blue Ridge" cultivar of creeping phlox also blooms in this period, showcasing pale blue flowers that gather in loose, flat clusters. The non-flowering shoots spread along the ground and root, forming a mass of deep-green foliage up to 24 inches wide.

Slower-Growing

• Other alternative blue groundcovers do not grow as rapidly as the periwinkle. Common bugleweed is a perennial in hardiness zones 4 to 9. Growing to a height of 3 to 6 inches, it spreads out to around 3 feet in areas of partial shade or shade. Its deep blue flowers bloom in late spring and early summer, atop leaves variegated in green and purple. It's growth rate, however, is slow. Also with a slow growth rate is Lithodora, a groundcover that grows in well-drained neutral or acidic soil. Its stems grow to a height of 8 inches and a width of up to 8 feet, in full sun or partial shade. Its blue flowers appear in mid summer and last the growing season.

Taller Groundcover

• Growing taller than periwinkle, these groundcovers produce blue flowers similar in shades to that of periwinkle. Cranesbill, particularly "Johnson's Blue", has blue flowers that are clear and delicate in color, and that bloom from early to mid summer. The mid-green foliage has a serrated edge and forms a dense mass that keeps out weeds. This ground-cover grows well in most well-drained soils, reaches 18 inches high and can spread up to 2 feet across. Campanala, or bellflowers, are a hardy perennial in hardiness zones 4 to 8. This plant forms a clump of flower-covered, light-green, serrated leaves, In hues of blue, mauve and purple, bellflowers produce shades of blue to compliment any garden design.