By LORRAINE BARNETT Garden Nook

Oh, shady nook! It seems like most gardeners have a little space (or too much) of shade that goes forgotten. Grasses won’t grow. Sunny flowers don’t like it. And, the spot just seems bare or mossy. Well, today in the Garden Nook, we’re planting a shady periwinkle garden, perfect for any forgotten space.

Periwinkle perfection Easy and carefree, periwinkle is the perfect plant for a bit of shade. It’s an evergreen groundcover, and yet it blooms in the springtime and often again in the fall. What could be better?

Once established, there’s virtually no weeding, because the dense green foliage grows with a strong, spreading root system that allows periwinkle to smother any weeds that may turn up. In fact, the trailing shoots that grow during the garden seasons will root themselves and develop more foliage as they grow. It’s like having a flowering carpet in the garden.

Sweet little flowers of blue, violet, purple-red or white grow with five petals or more. Glossy, dark-green leaves (or variegated types) grow 2 inches long and generally have oval shapes.

About periwinkle Periwinkle is kind of a nickname for the botanical plant Vinca minor or Vinca major. You also may know periwinkle by another nickname, creeping myrtle. But no matter the name, periwinkle is in the garden all year long. It’s perennial and evergreen and looks great even during Ohio’s winter months. Gardeners and landscapers have many uses for periwinkle.

First of all, it’s attractive but functional; it adheres to hilly sites in a garden. It stops erosion as it naturalizes. Periwinkle is good to plant in zones 4 through 8, and though it often is considered a shade-loving groundcover, it can grow nicely in the sunshine, too. Vinca minor grows only 4 to 6 inches high, while Vinca major may grow to about a foot or so with slightly bigger flowers. Periwinkle is not fussy about the garden soil. It is happy to be planted in loam or a bit of clay. It prefers a slightly acid-based to neutral soil (pH 5-7).

Choosing periwinkle Some varieties for the garden include Vinca minor “Atropurpurea” blooms in purple (also named as “Rubra” or wine periwinkle). “Bowles Variety” has pale blue flowers. “Variegata” has foliage hues of green and deep yellow with blue flowers. “Sterling Silver” has dark blue flowers with white variegated leaves. “Alba” or “Jekyll’s White” bears white flowers. For double blooms, try “Alboplena” with double whites or “Flore Pleno” with double purples.

Vinca major varieties includes plants with larger leaves and flowers, but very similar appearances: “Reticulata” has variegated foliage, “Pubescens” red-purple flowers. “Alba” has white flowers. “Variegata” bears creamy spots on its leaves and blue flowers.

Don’t confuse periwinkle with a tropical plant known by the same name, Madagascar periwinkle or Catharanthus roseus. It may also be called Vinca rosea. This periwinkle is pink and has very similar leaves and flowers and cultivars but will probably not survive Ohio’s winter.

Barnett is a greenthumb gardener from Westfield Center.