How to Stop Periwinkle From Spreading

Although some gardeners prize periwinkle as an attractive, effective ground cover plant, this perennial evergreen has a darker side -- in favorable growing conditions, it spreads indefinitely and can overwhelm other plants. Greater periwinkle (Vinca major) is hardy in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 7 through 9, and lesser periwinkle (Vinca minor) thrives in zones 4 through 8. Both plants are classified as invasive in different areas of the United States and spread by rooting from stem tips. Growing periwinkle in containers or sites where its stems can't touch the soil, removing it manually, and spraying it with a systemic weedkiller such as glyphosate, all provide control.


Grow periwinkle in a planter, hanging basket, window box or other container to prevent its spread. If you grow periwinkle in the ground, grow it in beds within lawns or hardscaping.


Pull up periwinkle stems on the periphery of a bed and dig up the remaining roots with a trowel. Start at the outer edge of a patch and move inward, pulling plants away from cleared soil. Check for new shoots every three months and pull them up.


Cut periwinkle plants with pruning shears in late spring or early fall when temperatures are between 70 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Use a weed whip for large patches. Spray the cut stems with a ready-to-use, 5-percent glyphosate weedkiller. Check for new shoots in late spring and early fall and either spray them with weedkiller or pull them up.