Repot periwinkle into a pot with holes. Keep trailers off the soil so nodes cannot root into the bed. greater periwinkle is the plant this page most often contains.
When to repot periwinkle
Missouri Botanical Garden: greater periwinkle is often a container plant farther north of its landscape comfort. Shade and blight stay on How to Grow Periwinkle. Choose lesser versus greater on Types of Vinca.
- Roots circle, or the mix has gone sour.
- You are starting a hanging basket so greater periwinkle cannot run.
- Last year’s trailers already rooted into the patio because they touched soil.
When should I repot periwinkle?
When roots circle, the mix sours, or you start a hanging basket to contain major. Midsummer heat is the wrong week unless the pot is failing.
How to repot periwinkle
- Choose a pot or hanging basket with real drain holes. One size up from the nursery pot for lesser periwinkle — a couple of inches wider, not a barrel of unused mix.
- Use a moist organic mix that still drains. Potting base plus bark or perlite. Not garden clay.
- Slide the plant out. Tease circling roots. Discard mush. Set the crown at the old nursery line, a little below the rim.
- Water until it drains. Empty the saucer. Let the top inch start to dry before the next soak.
- Trim or tuck trailers so they do not rest on soil, mulch, or a neighboring bed. Nodes root as soon as they touch.
What size pot should I use?
One size up from the current ball for lesser periwinkle, with drain holes. A cavern of unused mix stays wet. Major can use a larger hanging basket if you keep the stems off the ground.
What fails a periwinkle pot
- A dish without holes.
- Trailers kissing soil — especially greater periwinkle.
- A pot two sizes up of unused wet mix.
- Overhead irrigation on a dense hanging mat.
- Parking the basket on a woodland edge.
Optional extras as cuttings live on How to Propagate Periwinkle.
Empty the saucer. Lift trailers off the soil after rain. That is the container job.
FAQ
Can lesser periwinkle live in a pot?
Yes. Use a draining container and a moist organic mix. Keep stems from rooting over the rim into the bed.
How often should I water a hanging basket?
More often than in-ground, especially in wind. Check with a finger. Water until it drains, then empty the saucer.
Can I mix periwinkle with annuals in one urn?
You can, but trailing nodes will root into the mix and crowd the annuals. Give periwinkle its own basket if you want control.
Related guides
Recommended plants
This note is part of Vinca Guides.
More container notes by plant live in Container Growing Guides.
Updated: Reviewed by Bosquelle Editors