Vincas’ ability to thrive make them garden greats

Sometimes, the most powerful examples of plant resilience do not come from cultivated garden beds, but from the cracks in the pavement.

Vinca, also known as Madagascar periwinkle, is one of those humble garden plants that quietly earn your admiration for its beauty and sheer will to thrive. Known scientifically as Catharanthus roseus, vinca is a popular and durable summer annual.

I’ve grown and observed vincas for years, and they never fail to impress me with their tenacity to live.

I once wrote about a cluster of tiny vinca seedlings that managed to sprout from a narrow crack in the floor of my greenhouse. These seedlings dropped as seeds from last season’s plants and soon emerged with surprising vigor. Within weeks, they were covered in blooms dancing above glossy green leaves.

Their ability to thrive in such a harsh environment left a lasting impression on me.

That wasn’t an isolated event. Vincas have a habit of showing up in the most unexpected places -- wedged tightly between bricks in garden paths, nestled in gravel along driveways or popping up along the edges of sidewalks where the sun blazes and the soil is dry as dust. Despite the lack of irrigation or care, they thrive.

Vincas’ tidy, mounding form remains compact, and their flowers keep blooming steadily through the most brutal days of summer. Bloom color ranges from snow white and bubblegum pink to deep fuchsia, scarlet and even bi-color varieties.

I fondly remember a lone vinca plant that appeared one summer in a crack in the concrete parking lot of my former office building.

This little plant stood tall with no soil in sight, exposed to the full force of the Mississippi sun and getting splashed by hot runoff water during every summer storm. Its rich green foliage stayed lush, and its bright pink flower glowed like a jewel against the gray pavement.

You may wonder what gives a vinca its superpower-like toughness.

It starts with those thick, leathery leaves that resist wilting and help the plant retain moisture during dry spells. Beneath the surface, a deep and efficient root system searches out water far below where many other annuals give up.

Vinca is a plant that doesn’t ask for much. It thrives in well-drained soil and full sun, and once established, it can handle extended periods without rain or supplemental watering.

That drought tolerance makes vincas a standout choice for Southern gardens where the summers can be relentless. They fill in hot, dry areas where little else will grow. Whether tucked into containers, planted along walkways or simply allowed to reseed and surprise you in odd corners of your yard, vincas deliver both beauty and toughness in equal measure.

So, the next time you see a splash of color blooming from a crack in the pavement, take a closer look. It just might be a vinca, quietly doing what it does best: thriving where others cannot.