I’ve mentioned a couple of times that our house is on the side of a hill with a lot of trees around. And although there are lots of advantages to such a location there are also some disadvantages. Two of the disadvantages are erosion and places where grass won’t grow. In our case the two places often coincide, especially in the back and on the uphill side of the yard.
But three or four years ago we hit upon a solution to some of our problems. The lot below ours is vacant and we noticed a lot of periwinkle growing in it. So we transplanted some into one of our problem areas.
It’s been slow, but the picture above shows how things looked earlier this week. The periwinkle has spread to cover the area where the grass wouldn’t grow and to at least cover an area of erosion.
The pretty blue flowers of the periwinkle are a sign that spring has arrived. And since it’s spreading I have a little less lawn to mow. And believe me, at my age every little bit of hillside yard that doesn’t need to be mowed is an advantage!
We have several small areas of periwinkle that we are encouraging to spread. In the meantime we enjoy the beauty they provide.
The picture at the right is a close up of the flowers of our periwinkle.
Senior Moments 
April 4, 2009 at 3:49 am |
Do be carful George, it does cover the problem area, but as soon as it gets to better ground it becomes a huge problem, multiplying by striking tough roots on the long tendrils and also going deep under ground and spreading and overgrowing other shrubs, going underneath them as well where it cannot be got at. It does not respond to roundup or other such controls. The older we get, the harder it is to control. I admit it is pretty but so hard to keep in check.
April 4, 2009 at 5:25 am |
Such a smart and lovely solution! I used to have a problem spot in the front yard where grass refused to grow but now it’s covered in clover. No pretty, colorful flowers like this though.
April 4, 2009 at 6:44 am |
Arija is correct this stuff does spread like crazy. Several of our custumers have this stuff growing in their flower beds and it takes over. They are pretty though and does help where you can’t grow anything else. We plant a lot of annual perwinkle every year for people.
April 4, 2009 at 7:55 am |
George: That is a beautiful little ground cover. It makes the area come alive in blue.
April 4, 2009 at 8:25 am |
Aren’t they beautiful! We have snow today. I will use this as my poetic inspiration on colour.
April 4, 2009 at 8:31 am |
Beautiful periwinkles! We have some down near the huts and creek area. I brought it from the last house we lived in and put it somewhere it could spread all it wanted.
April 4, 2009 at 8:49 am |
So much more interesting than just grass too, don’t you think. Doesn’t need mowing either. I do like these little gems as they so thrive in shade.
April 4, 2009 at 9:53 am |
Pretty periwinkles to cover the ugly spots were nothing else seems to thrive! Enjoy!
April 4, 2009 at 10:05 am |
Periwinkle is so pretty.We have some as well and look forward to the first flowers on it.
Blessings,Ruth
April 4, 2009 at 10:06 am |
Oh that’s pretty & a great solution to the erosion problem – I’d much rather see the periwinkle than a concrete wall! That’s what we had to build in a house I lived in a while back due to erosion – not a pretty site!
April 4, 2009 at 10:20 am |
We had this growing in our yard in GA. The little blue flowers always highlighted our back area under the trees. So pretty for sure!
April 4, 2009 at 10:36 am |
Beautiful periwinkle.
April 4, 2009 at 12:30 pm |
I just love the name periwinkle!!!
April 4, 2009 at 2:56 pm |
Arn’t they just beautiful George, and ideal for that spot.
April 4, 2009 at 6:06 pm |
Those are beautiful small flowers! I pick them every spring, they are growing wild in the forest where I live! The ground is covered by them. I have been told they have the capasity to take over, and i have seen that plants naturally growing in the forest are dying because of them. But – they are lovely – and they last very long in a vase!
April 4, 2009 at 6:07 pm |
The periwinkles are beautiful, and if they solve your erosion and mowing problems, so much the better!
April 4, 2009 at 6:27 pm |
What a wonderful solution to the erosion problem! I hope the periwinkle doesn’t take over, though! It certainly would not help my erosion problems! They are caused by dogs dashing out to the tree in the back yard to yell at the squirrels. And you know, the squirrels NEVER come down to be killed!
April 4, 2009 at 6:54 pm |
We inherited periwinkle from the previous owner and just love it. We have blue and white. We purposefully do not have any grass on our
2 1/2 acres. We don’t even own a lawn mower. We use creeping jenny (lysimachia) and the periwinkle and that gives the illusion of GREEN!
April 4, 2009 at 11:10 pm |
These flowers have lot of medicinal importance, especially in diabetes. There are different types though.
April 5, 2009 at 6:06 pm |
The periwinkle is just gorgeous. I think it looks so much better than just grass.
April 6, 2009 at 10:32 am |
We had these flowers ALL OVER our shaded yard when I was a kid. I wasn’t so enthralled with them at the time, but seeing these pictures makes me realize I was a silly child, and now I miss them!
April 7, 2009 at 5:05 pm |
Jimmy just told me this past weekend that we need to help our perwinkle spread a little faster. It does make such a pretty spot where you don’t want to mow.
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April 24, 2013 at 1:11 pm |
Our periwinkle is so full and lovely right now. It’s my go-to choice for ground cover, with its beautiful flowers. Thanks for the post.
October 2, 2019 at 8:50 am |
The perfect solution! And it looks so pretty too.