Few plants are shrouded in a halo of such notoriety. As soon as the flower was not called: the coffin-grass, the eye of the devil, and many called it a burial ground. But looking at the plant itself, it is difficult to understand why it deserved such an unkind attitude. A beautiful branchy ground cover, pleasing to the eye with green and lacquered leaves and a sky-blue shade of flowers. It is not capricious, it can grow in any place, shady or sunny. Even in winter, it is worth removing a layer of snow - and you will see bright greenery! This is the resilience and thirst for life of a seemingly simple, but at the same time original and graceful plant - periwinkle!
And the dark glory, hinting at his connection with the other world, has been reaching for the flower since antiquity. The Celts called periwinkle a witch's violet and served as a protective amulet. Woven into wreaths, he personified the all-pervading power of love and was a symbol of marital fidelity and devotion. Maybe that is why it is often planted on the grave, and the plant resignedly accepts such an existence, where there is so little human attention and simple care.
Periwinkle celestial flowers keep their freshness for a long time - up to twenty days! They are woven into wreaths by unmarried girls to decorate their hair for one of the great summer holidays - Ivan Kupala. And after the nights full of secrets they keep and admire them.
However, let's leave the lyrics and move on to the main question: how to properly care for a periwinkle. Although, of course, I will appreciate the fact that leaving is practically reduced to zero. If the small periwinkle grows well in the middle of the arid steppe, then life at home will seem to him just fabulous.
Florists distinguish two types of flower that are most widespread: small periwinkle and large periwinkle. They differ among themselves in the height of the stem and the size of the flowers. The first species gives flowers smaller, and its height rarely exceeds 25 cm, and the second can drive out meter-long stems.
Periwinkle: planting and caring for a flower
The soil
Any soil is suitable for the plant, even sandy. However, if the soil is heavy, growth activity will decrease slightly. The development of the periwinkle is fast enough; during the season, it can capture up to seven square meters with its branches. Do not lose your vigilance - such thickets can harm the "neighbors", or even push them out of the garden altogether.
Pick-up location
Without a doubt, the most favorable part of the garden will be sunny, but the plant will also feel good in the shade. If you need to disguise unattractive places of your summer cottage or low buildings - periwinkle will do an excellent job with this task. Surprisingly, even a tree-shaded flower grows beautifully.
Watering
If you want to plant a periwinkle on an area where you will come only for the weekend, then this amount of watering will be enough. In addition, the usual rains are not canceled. Growing a flower in the sultry southern regions, you can water the plant a little more often - the periwinkle will be more beautiful and lush. But there is no need to apply fertilizers so that the periwinkle carpet does not build up greasy greens.
Reproduction
The most optimal way is to dig out some of the plants that have grown over the season and transplant it to another place. Or you can do this: bend the branch to the ground and it will soon take root. They grow a flower and seedlings, and seeds are not a shortage.
Bloom
The plant blooms in mid-May. During this period, the plot with periwinkle simply captivates the eye: blue stars in the emerald sky! After flowering, the stems are trimmed and cut if necessary. Freshly cut twigs can be put in a cool place, and they will delight the hostess with beauty and freshness for about two to three weeks.
Pests
Pests usually bypass the periwinkle, except that aphids can choose young leaves. But you are guaranteed not to find weeds in the green-blue area. The periwinkle tightly covers the soil, and throughout the season the bed looks even and clean, as if it had just been cut.
Application in medicine
Periwinkle is often used in modern medicine and pharmacology. One of the active elements of the flower is an alkaloid that blocks uncontrolled cell division. Means, which include periwinkle, are used in the treatment of oncological processes. In addition, nootropic drugs, as well as immunosuppressants, are made from the plant.
Periwinkle is a wonderful flower, no matter how you look at it. Its beauty, undemandingness, agreement to live on any soil and in various conditions, the ability to look harmoniously in group plantings with annuals and perennials, originality not only in a horizontal arrangement, but also on vertical supports, and in hanging pots - all these qualities make the flower popular and the demand for landscape designers. Periwinkle will be a wonderful garden decoration if you are a busy person. After all, it is a very beautiful plant that does not require special supervision and is completely independent.
