Cora Vinca

When our gardens and landscapes heat up for hot summer season, you just can’t beat the color of annual vinca. In my opinion vinca is one of those perfect landscape plants. They produce loads of color and handle the high heat and dry conditions of our Mississippi summers. One group of vinca I always recommend are the Cora vinca. The dark green foliage has a leathery look and texture and makes the perfect background to really show off the heavy production of colorful flowers. They are available as upright growers, or my favorites, the Cascade with a trailing habit. Upright Cora will grow to about 14 inches tall with a wider spread and has colors including white, lavender, violet, strawberry and red. Cora Cascade vinca produces plants with good branching that create a nice, mounded mass eight inches tall and up to 36 inches wide. The trailing growth habit is perfect for displaying the big and showy flowers that come in colors of cherry, lilac, peach blush, polka dot and strawberry. I’ve gotten creative with the Cora Cascade Peach Blush in my landscape by planting in Crocs repurposed as sconces on my fence. My neighbors just love my Croc Pots. Cora selections have the added advantage of greater disease resistance than other vinca selections. I’m horticulturist Gary Bachman and I’ll see you next time on Southern Gardening.