Bowles Cunningham Periwinkle

Vinca minor 'Bowles Cunningham' (Vinca minor 'Bowles Cunningham') is a refined, exceptionally free-flowering selection of the beloved lesser periwinkle — one of the most reliably ornamental, garden-versatile, and low-maintenance evergreen ground cover perennials available for shaded and partly shaded garden positions. 'Bowles Cunningham' is distinguished from common vinca selections by its notably larger, more vividly colored blue-violet flowers that appear in generous abundance above a dense, trailing mat of small, glossy, deep green evergreen leaves — elevating the familiar periwinkle ground cover to a new level of ornamental quality and refined garden presence. The vivid, pinwheel-shaped blue flowers emerge in spring with striking, jewel-toned prolificacy, covering the foliage mat in a carpet of color, and continue to appear intermittently through summer and fall for an extended season of ornamental value that distinguishes this cultivar from shorter-blooming vinca selections.

This professional-grade 4" plant arrives with a healthy, well-established root system cultivated through professional horticultural practices — ready to establish and spread into its characteristic trailing, rooting habit. 'Bowles Cunningham' excels as a ground cover beneath established trees and shrubs, as a slope stabilizer on shaded banks, as refined edging along shaded pathways, and in mixed shade garden compositions where its trailing stems, glossy evergreen foliage, and vivid blue spring flowers create a layered, weed-suppressing carpet of consistent year-round ornamental value. Once established it spreads steadily and reliably to fill its allotted space, forming an enduring, genuinely attractive, and low-maintenance ground cover.

• Larger, More Vivid Blue-Violet Flowers: Notably larger and more intensely colored blue-violet pinwheel flowers than common vinca selections appear in generous spring abundance and continue through summer and fall — a refined, jewel-toned floral display that elevates this cultivar significantly above standard periwinkle ground cover selections.
• Dense Glossy Evergreen Ground Cover: Small, deep glossy green leaves on trailing, freely rooting stems form a dense, weed-suppressing evergreen carpet that provides clean, handsome, year-round ground coverage in shaded and partly shaded positions with consistent, reliable ornamental quality.
• Exceptional Shade Tolerance: One of the most reliably shade-tolerant flowering ground cover perennials available — 'Bowles Cunningham' thrives from full shade beneath established trees to bright filtered light, making it indispensable for difficult low-light garden areas that challenge most flowering ornamentals.
• Extended Bloom Season: Vivid blue-violet flowers appear prolifically in spring, then continue to rebloom intermittently through summer and into fall — providing a longer season of jewel-toned color than standard vinca selections and maintaining ornamental value well beyond the typical spring peak.
• Slope Stabilization & Erosion Control: Trailing stems root readily as they spread, anchoring the soil on shaded slopes, banks, and hillsides with an increasingly dense, interwoven mat that provides excellent long-term erosion control across a wide range of shaded and partly sunny positions.

These 4" healthy live plants thrive in partial shade to full shade with average, well-drained to moderately moist soil; tolerates a wide range of soil types including dry shade beneath trees. Water regularly during establishment, then reduce to low to moderate supplemental irrigation. USDA Hardiness Zones 4–9; mature height: 4–6 inches; spread: 18–36 inches over time. Bloom time: spring, with intermittent rebloom through fall. Trim back lightly in early spring to refresh the planting and maintain a tidy, vigorous ground cover habit.