Vine 2 Groundcover??

We moved in our current home a few years ago and the landscaping was a tad neglected....But we did have some ground cover (ivy) in a spot just around our back patio wall. We moved in our new home in October, so most of the plants and greenery was about to hibernate and die off for the winter. Plus, I must admit....with all the work going on inside, we did not spend much time fixing the outside before the cold weather was upon us. The following spring we headed to the outdoors to re-landscape the beds and fix up the yard to our liking. I headed over the the large ivy patch and noticed that there was something else sprouting from the ivy??? I was a tad puzzled? Was it a weed?? It was all over!

My mom is a garden know-it-all so the next time she came for a visit I asked her what this could be in with the ivy?? She replied Vinca. I was a little shocked. Personally, I thought she did not know what she was talking about. So I left it be....after all it was a light green color and was starting to look rather nice. A few weeks went by and the Vinca (as my mom referred to it as) started to get real pretty little purple flowers on it. Yep...you guessed it Mom was right again!!! It was Vinca!!! I thought Vinca was just a traveling vine to put in a hanging basket? But, little did I know it was also a ground cover to!! A very pretty ground cover at that!!

So I had learned something new that day....and I just love my Vinca in with the Ivy...it is just so beautiful!! And you would not believe how many compliments we get from people also stating they just cannot believe it is Vinca and how nice it looks!

Do you have a spot that needs ground cover in your yard?? At our local Produce Junction Vinca is now just .75 a pot. You would probably just need a few to get you started...and next spring it will really take off and look gorgeous!! Remember it does die-off for the cold winter months....as I think that was why the previous owners mixed it in with ivy...so that during the winter the spot would not be bare.