The answer to whether a Vinca plant returns each year depends entirely on which plant you purchased. Gardeners commonly use the name “Vinca” to refer to two entirely different species with distinct growing habits and cold tolerances. This ambiguity often causes confusion when one plant survives the winter while the other does not. Knowing the specific botanical identity of your plant is the only way to determine its fate once cold weather arrives.
Understanding the Two Types of Vinca
The plant most often sold as a permanent, low-maintenance groundcover belongs to the genus Vinca, including species like Vinca minor and Vinca major, commonly known as Periwinkle. This type features long, trailing stems that creep along the ground, forming a dense mat of glossy, evergreen foliage. They are primarily valued for their ability to cover large areas and their early spring display of small, star-shaped flowers, typically in shades of blue or purple.
The second plant, widely sold for its profuse, season-long color, is Catharanthus roseus, or Madagascar Periwinkle. Though it was once classified under the Vinca genus, it is a separate plant entirely. This variety is an upright, bushy annual that produces large, pinwheel-shaped flowers in a wide array of colors, including bright pink, red, white, and lavender.
Overwintering Success of Perennial Groundcover
The true Periwinkle, particularly Vinca minor, is a durable perennial known for its ability to survive winter and return reliably year after year. This species is rated as winter-hardy in USDA Zones 4 through 9, meaning it can tolerate cold temperatures and deep freezes. Its success is due to its growth habit as a semi-evergreen groundcover that maintains its leaves through the winter, drastically slowing its metabolism.
The dense mat of foliage and stems provides a degree of self-mulching, which helps insulate the root system from rapid temperature fluctuations. In the coldest parts of its hardiness range, snow cover acts as an additional blanket, protecting the roots from severe freezing and thawing cycles. For newly established plantings, applying organic mulch in late fall helps maintain a stable soil temperature. The plant enters a dormant state, conserving energy until the soil warms and new growth resumes from its established root system.
Why Bedding Vinca Requires Replanting
Conversely, the vibrant bedding variety, Catharanthus roseus, is an annual plant in most temperate climates and will not return after the winter. This plant is a tropical subshrub native to Madagascar and is not equipped to handle cold temperatures. It thrives in high heat and humidity, which allows it to perform well during the peak summer months.
The plant begins to fail rapidly when temperatures consistently drop below 50°F and is extremely sensitive to frost. A single frost event, or prolonged exposure to temperatures near 40°F, is usually enough to kill the plant entirely. It does not possess the mechanisms required to enter the deep, cold-tolerant dormancy needed to survive below-freezing conditions. Gardeners must treat this Vinca as a tender annual, requiring replanting each spring unless they live in tropical Zones 10 or higher.