'Illumination' Variegated Periwinkle
"Through primrose tufts, in that sweet bower,
The periwinkle trailed its wreaths;
And 'tis my faith that every flower
Enjoys the air it breathes."
-William Wordsworth
(1770-1850)
(1770-1850)
Vinca minor 'Illumination' is an incredible find. It's a sport of the commonly gardened periwinkle, discovered in 1995 by Christy Hensler right here in Washington state, springing up at her iris & daylily nursery The Rock Garden near the little town of Newport in the foothills of the Selkirk Mountains.
It is the brightest of the variegated vincas. The majority of each leaf is golden when young, maturing to a lighter softer cream, & the majority of leaves are rimmed with deep green. The leaves bring light to dim garden corners, as it thrives in partial to full shade. It'll survive in the sun, too, but will need much more watering, & won't have as fine a leaf color, so should really be reserved as a groundcover or edging plant for those shady corners.
It is reportedly only slightly less aggressive than regular green vinca, so it should be kept in mind that once established it is pretty darned hard to ever be rid of it, since it grows back from any missed bit of root. So select its location with permanency in mind. It can be particularly useful in container gardening.
We got two small rooted starts & put them at the edge of a flagstone patio in cracks between the flagstones & the wall of a raised garden. At present they make very little impact, but as they take hold I'm expecting to have to trim them back from the flagstones from time to time & can rely on them to "illuminate" their corner of the patio.
The pale blue flowers are pleasant but secondary to the more deeply colored foliage. Mature twigs are red.
It does not require much moisture, but when getting established a regular watering schedule & a slow-release fertilizer can give it a leafy boost.