PlantFiles: Common Periwinkle, Creeping Myrtle, Flower-of-Death, Wine Periwinkle
Vinca minor 'Atropurpurea'

This plant stays green late into the fall in zone 5 and we really like the flowers in the early spring. This plant does spread and could be considered invasive, but generally does not expand beyond the shade of the tree it grows under - does not like the hot summer sun. We do occasionally have to trim it back when it wants to spread over the sidewalk, but only every couple of months. Survives kids and pets walking all over it too!

A rare flower color for vinca, very unusual. Unfortunately the dark flowers are not very noticeable and tend to get lost in the shade where vinca usually grows. The plant is bombproof, though. Can bve invasive and crowd out other plants in both the garden and the wild.

When I moved to Little Rock, AR, 20 yrs ago, this plant provided great natural ground cover in the thinner parts of the woods around my house. I was told it was planted in the 70's by a neighbor in his woods, it has spread through the whole area, acres of woods. It does well on the steep rocky slopes where the trees aren't super dense. We only water it when we have severe dry spells. Here it is very invasive and I am constantly ripping it out of places only to have if come back. I couldn't get rid of it if I wanted to. Of course its really pretty in the woods!

Thanks to whoever left these behind, +20 yrs ago.
Hardy, since I'm not caring for it.
Beautiful to see popping through the fence in the spring.