Botanical Name: Vinca minor 'Bowles'
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Common Name: Bowles Vinca  
Plant photo of: Vinca minor 'Bowles'
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Water Saving Tip:

Replace turf with groundcovers, trees, and shrubs. If you have areas where no one uses the grass, patches that do not grow well, or a turf area too small to water without runoff, consider replacing the turf with water-efficient landscaping.

  • Anatomy

  • Culture

  • Design

Plant Type

Broadleaf Evergreen, Ground cover, Perennial

 

Height Range

Under 1'

 

Flower Color

Violet

 

Flower Season

Spring

 

Leaf Color

Dark Green

 

Bark Color

n/a

 

Fruit Color

n/a

 

Fruit Season

n/a

Sun

Half, Shade

 

Water

Very Low, Low

 

Growth Rate

Moderate

 

Soil Type

Sandy, Clay, Loam, Rocky, Unparticular

 

Soil Condition

Average, Rich, Poor, Well-drained, Moist, Dry

 

Soil pH

Neutral

 

Adverse Factors

Invasive

Design Styles

English Cottage, Formal, Japanese, Woodland

 

Accenting Features

Showy Flowers

 

Seasonal Interest

Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall

 

Location Uses

Background, Shrub Border, Patio, Walls / Fences

 

Special Uses

Cascade, Container, Erosion Control, Filler, Mass Planting, Lawn Alternative, Naturalizing, Hanging Baskets

 

Attracts Wildlife

n/a

Information by: Stephanie Duer
Photographer:

  • Description

  • Notes

'Bowles' is a V. minor cultivar selected for its large, violet-blue flowers and dark, glossy green foliage. Flowers are intermittent throughout the summer months. A low-growing, vining, creeping, evergreen groundcover well suited to larger areas, and probably best kept to shrub borders as it would overtake most perennials. Also nice in containers, as it has a trailing habit. Grows about 4 to 6 inches tall with an indefinite spread.
Grow in part to full shade in nearly any soil. Its spreading, vining habit is both its asset and liability, as it just doesn't seem to ever quit. Well suited to dry shade, and lower water conditions seem to control it somewhat. However, this plant has escaped into our urban riparian corridors and overtakes slower-growing natives, so avoid planting if you live along one of our streams.