Periwinkle refers to evergreen deciduous creeping shrubs and to the Kutrovye family. Its homeland is Asia and North Africa. Now the pink periwinkle is distributed throughout Europe. The Latin name vinca translates as "to wrap around". This accurately characterizes the periwinkle, as it spreads along the ground. Periwinkle is a symbol of vitality and vitality. There is a legend that the periwinkle, which blossomed at the same time as the violet, complained to Flora that no one was paying attention to him. Flora took pity on him and made the periwinkle flowers larger, and also rewarded him with vitality and endurance, which the violet does not have.
Description of pink periwinkle
Periwinkle can act as a creeping shrub, as well as a herbaceous erect plant. The leaves on the shoots are opposite. They are light or dark green in color. Some species have a white border or spots on the leaves. The flowers are quite large, mostly blue, but there is also a pink periwinkle,white and purple. Solitary flowers appear from the axils of the leaves. The whisk has the shape of a funnel with a long cylindrical tube. In spring, the periwinkle is literally strewn with flowers that rise up. Throughout the growing season, the flowering of the periwinkle does not stop, which cannot be said about other plants that bloom at the same time as it. Periwinkle also has fruits - these are two leaflets that have the shape of a cylinder. Now there are 12 types of periwinkles.
Sowing time
Usually, periwinkle is planted in the spring, but you can do it before winter, at a time when the plants are already going into a dormant state. Sowing is allowed even in summer, but a rainy or cloudy day should be chosen.
The soil for the normal growth of this plant should be neutral or at least slightly acidic. It is not recommended to plant a plant in an open area. Periwinkle will do much better in shade or partial shade. If there is no fertile soil on the site, then mature compost should be applied to the beds.
Planting a pink periwinkle and its other species should not be difficult even for beginner gardeners. Since it is enough just to dig up the beds, make a furrow no more than one centimeter and put the seeds in it. After that, the seeds are sprinkled with loose earth and watered well.
Features of care
Now it's worth talking about the peculiarities of caring for and growing pink periwinkle in the garden. Although there are no difficulties in this process, since this plant belongs to the mostunpretentious of all garden crops.
Water the periwinkle only in the most extreme cases, when the drought lasts for several weeks. If the rains periodically "spoil" your garden, then this will be quite enough for the normal growth and development of this flower. Weeds are not a hindrance to the flowering of pink periwinkle. Therefore, gardeners remove them only because of personal dislike, if you can call it that. And the plant itself is absolutely fine with them on the same bed.
You can try to strengthen the tillering. To do this, you need to pinch the shoots from time to time. Both old and young shoots are suitable for this.
Pink periwinkle (see photo above) is very good with various top dressings. It is recommended to use balanced mineral and organic fertilizers. Experienced gardeners recommend opting for organic. It can be leafy soil, compost, humus.
When the flowering period of the pink periwinkle ends, it must be cut. If there is a desire to plant a periwinkle on some piece of land, then the cut parts of the plant can be used as cuttings, which are well received.
Methods of reproduction
Pink periwinkle is a herbaceous plant for open ground, which is well propagated by seeds, cuttings, and also by dividing the bush. Therefore, problems with plant breeding should not arise.
If you want to try cuttings, then you should consider that cuttings must be planted in the spring or at the endAugust-early September. They should be located at a distance of 20-30 centimeters from each other. If an evergreen periwinkle grows in your garden plot, then you can use the technique of horizontal layering. The fallen stems are simply sprinkled with earth. In a short time, the shoots are able to grow into the ground. And for those who decide to try to propagate the periwinkle by dividing the bush, it should be noted that this procedure should be carried out exclusively in early spring. This should be the period when the shoots have not yet begun to grow.
Diseases and pests
In general, the periwinkle does not get sick very often, but there are several diseases that can "attack" him. Among them: powdery mildew and rust. Both diseases are fungal, but different drugs are used to combat them. If it is powdery mildew, then for processing you can choose: "Skor", "Kvadris", "Topaz", "Topsin". In the fight against rust, the following fungicides are useful: Topaz, Kuproksat, and Bordeaux liquid can also be used.
As for pests, aphids are considered the worst enemy of the periwinkle. You can get rid of it with the help of Fufanon or Karbofos. Also, to process the plant, in order to destroy aphids, it is recommended to use a soap solution. This is one of the best folk remedies that has proven effective in dealing with these pests.
How to collect seeds
There is no need to buy seeds every time if you already have a periwinkle in your area. It is much easier to collect them from an existing plant. Although experiencedgardeners say that this should not be done either, since periwinkle vegetative propagation is simpler and easier than growing it from seeds. The cuttings take root very quickly, and the division of the bush also does not cause difficulties.
Periwinkle large
His homeland is the Crimea, the Caucasus and the Mediterranean. This beautiful plant is perennial. Its stems spread over the entire surface of the earth and create a beautiful flowering carpet. Large leathery leaves are egg-shaped. Their edges have attractive cilia. The leaflet can reach a length of eight centimeters, but the flowers are a little smaller - only five centimeters in diameter. The flowers are solitary, located on peduncles, which can reach a height of 40 centimeters. All of them are painted blue. The beginning of flowering falls in May and lasts a little more than a month. This species is not too afraid of winter, but if there is no snow, then it is better to cover the plant with spruce branches.
Lesser Periwinkle
In nature, it can be found in the Mediterranean, Asia Minor, and also in southern Russia. It is a creeping perennial that prefers pine and broadleaf forests where there are rich soils. The stem of the small periwinkle can reach a length of 60 centimeters. Elliptical, shiny, leathery leaves are arranged on long petioles. They can reach five centimeters in length. Interestingly, even in winter, they do not lose color and remain evergreen. The blue flowers are funnel-shaped with a diameter of 2.5 centimeters, located on a peduncle 20 centimeters long. Flowering begins somewhere inend of May or beginning of June and lasts no more than one month. It is rare to find fruits on it. They look like pentacles. For reproduction, the vegetative method is more often chosen, since it is more reliable. It is important to note that this variety appeared in culture as early as 1306. It is not difficult to take care of him, he tolerates winter normally, only in the absence of snow he needs shelter with spruce branches.
Periwinkle pubescent
You can find this species in the Western Caucasus. Shoots creep right along the ground and in those places where they come into contact with the ground, they begin to sprout. Thanks to this, by the autumn there are a large number of rooted nodes. When this periwinkle blooms, it gives the impression of a loose cover. This is due to the fact that its peduncles with single flowers, which reach 3.5 centimeters in diameter, rise vertically. Flowers open in May and bloom until the end of June. It is important to note that during the winter period, all the leaves of this periwinkle die off.
Periwinkle herbaceous
In the wild, a fairly common species. You can find it on the territory of Ukraine, the Crimea, the Caucasus, as well as in Asia Minor and Central Europe. The shoots are creeping, covered with elliptical shiny leaves, which fall off in winter. Peduncles are not too long - 15 centimeters. They have blue or purple flowers no more than three centimeters in diameter. Like all periwinkles, they bloom from May to June.
Periwinkle pink (kataranthus)
It is this periwinkle that is discussed inthis article. Recently, it has been bred into a separate genus, which includes eight species. But flower growers are accustomed to calling catharanthus simply a periwinkle. It has the appearance of a shrub that reaches a height of 60 centimeters, which is quite a lot for periwinkles. On erect stems are dark green leaves arranged oppositely. In length, they can reach seven centimeters. The flowers are located in the axils of the leaves and, as the name implies, have a pink color. They begin to bloom in May, and this period continues until autumn. Pink periwinkle (photo in the article) has fruits - a sickle-shaped achene. The species began to develop especially rapidly in 1976. Then American scientists began to breed various hybrids of this plant, which today have gained great popularity. As a result of many years of breeding work, German scientists were able to create a houseplant - pink periwinkle.
Useful properties of periwinkle
Has a pink periwinkle medicinal properties and contraindications for use. First of all, I would like to note all its advantages and benefits that it can bring to a person.
Periwinkles have long been used in pharmacology and medicine, as they contain many useful elements. First of all, it is an alkaloid that prevents cell division. Now periwinkle is grown even on an industrial scale to get this substance. It is part of immunosuppressants, as well as anticancer drugs.
This plant is also used in other areas of medicine. So,pubescent and pink periwinkles are used to treat cardiovascular diseases, since they contain: vinine, pubescin, glycoside and alkaloids of the same action. People suffering from hypertension can benefit from the herbaceous periwinkle, which contains rutin. We must not forget about periwinkle minor, which has the same cardiac glycosides.
Alkaloids are not the only beneficial substances that can be obtained from periwinkle. They also include:
- tannins;
- anthocyanins;
- organic acids;
- vitamins;
- sugar;
- mineral s alts;
- phenolic compounds;
- steroids.
And vinca-based preparations can help treat the following diseases:
- cerebrovascular accident;
- ischemia;
- osteochondrosis;
- atherosclerosis;
- psychosis;
- vascular lesions;
- schizophrenia;
- vegetative neurosis;
- depression;
- polyneuritis;
- consequences of meningoencephalitis;
- dyscoordination;
- various diseases of the throat, ears, nose.
The healing properties of pink periwinkle and other species of this plant were known as early as the time of Dioscorides and Pliny the Elder. Then it was used as a wound healing, astringent, vasodilator, blood purifier and hemostatic agent.
Contraindications for use
It should be noted that the periwinkle is a poisonous plant, so doself-medication can be life-threatening. You should not take drugs or use folk recipes, which include periwinkle, without consulting a specialist. An overdose can result in cardiac depression. Pregnant women should not use drugs containing periwinkle at all. Therefore, pregnant women should carefully study the composition of drugs, and also not take medications without consulting a gynecologist.
