Perennial of the Month-- May 2002 
Common name: Vinca, Periwinkle
Family: Apocynaceae, Dogbane
Height x width: groundcover
Growth rate: moderate to fast
Foliage: opposite, glossy, gold with irregular green margins—new and unusual for this species, evergreen, flowering and non-flowering stems
Flowers: solitary, funnel-shaped, late spring to early summer, in leaf axils, blue
Hardiness: zones 4-8
Soil: moist, well-drained, tolerates poor and dry
Light: part shade to shade, tolerates sun in North if sufficient moisture
Pests and Problems: leaf spots, stem rot (seldom problems); leaves may scorch if too hot and dry in full sun
Landscape habit, uses: vigorous aggressive groundcover, slopes as for erosion control, woodland gardens, cascading from containers
Other interest: dsicovered by Christy Hensler of The Rock Garden, a retail nursery in Newport, Washington in 1995 in a bed of the species; not to be confused with the annual periwinkle Catharanthus; native to Europe; names from the Latin vincio meaning to bind, and later Middle English per wynke meaning same, refering to use in making wreaths which in Middle Ages were placed on heads of criminals on their way to execution; in Italy it was known as Fiore de morte being placed on bodies of dead infants; later and still occasionally today it is known as "Joy of the Ground"
Other culture: not to be planted where spread among other plants is not desired, less aggressive than species
Propagation: division of rooted shoots (non-flowering stems root at nodes), layering, cuttings, protected from commercial propagation
Sources: PlantHaven retailers