Removing creeping myrtle (Vinca minor), also called periwinkle or creeping vinca, requires persistence and usually a combination of methods rather than any single approach. This low-growing evergreen ground cover spreads by rooting at every node where its stems contact soil, which means pulling out visible plants without addressing the root network and buried stem fragments almost guarantees it comes back. The good news is that it can be eliminated from a garden bed or yard, but you should expect the project to take at least one full growing season and possibly two.
Why Creeping Myrtle Is So Hard to Kill
Understanding what makes this plant stubborn helps you choose the right removal strategy. Creeping myrtle produces long, trailing stems that sprawl across the ground and send roots down into the soil at regular intervals. Each rooted node is essentially an independent plant. If you pull up a mat of vinca and leave behind even a few inches of rooted stem, those fragments regenerate into new plants within weeks. The root system itself is shallow but dense, forming a thick web in the top few inches of soil.
The plant’s waxy, leathery leaves also make it resistant to casual herbicide applications. Sprays tend to bead up and roll off the leaf surface rather than being absorbed. This is why a half-hearted single spray of herbicide rarely finishes the job. You either need to improve how the chemical contacts the leaves or accept that repeated treatments are part of the plan.
Manual Removal
Hand-pulling and digging out creeping myrtle is the most straightforward approach and works well for small patches, roughly anything you could cover with a bedsheet. Start when the soil is moist, since the roots release more easily from damp ground. Grab the stems close to the soil surface and pull slowly, trying to lift the entire root mat rather than snapping off the tops. A garden fork is more useful than a shovel here because you can work it under the root network and pry upward without cutting stems into fragments.
After pulling, rake the area thoroughly. You are looking for any stem pieces or root segments left behind. Even a two-inch piece of stem with a node can re-root. Bag everything and dispose of it in the trash, not the compost pile. Vinca survives composting temperatures in most home compost setups and you risk reintroducing it later.
For larger infestations, manual removal alone becomes impractical. A dense patch that has been growing for several years may have multiple overlapping layers of stems, with the older buried layers already rooted. In those cases, combine hand-pulling with one of the other methods below.
Smothering With Mulch or Sheeting
If you have time and want to avoid chemicals entirely, smothering is effective. Cut the vinca back as short as possible with a mower, string trimmer, or hedge shears. Then cover the entire area with a light-blocking barrier. The two most common options are cardboard topped with several inches of mulch, or black plastic sheeting held down at the edges with rocks or landscape staples.
Cardboard and mulch works well in beds where you eventually want to replant, because the cardboard breaks down over time and the mulch enriches the soil. Use uncoated, plain cardboard with no glossy printing. Overlap sheets by at least six inches so no light can sneak through the seams. Then pile on four to six inches of wood chip mulch. Leave it in place for a full growing season. Check periodically for any vinca shoots that manage to push through, and pull them immediately.
Black plastic sheeting kills faster because it traps heat underneath, essentially cooking the plants during warm months. This method, sometimes called solarization when done with clear plastic, works best in summer. Mow the area, water it well, then lay the plastic and seal the edges. Six to eight weeks of hot weather under plastic will kill most of the root system. The downside is that plastic also kills beneficial soil organisms and any other plants underneath, and the area looks unsightly while the plastic is in place.
Whichever barrier you choose, extend it at least a foot beyond the visible edges of the vinca patch. Underground runners often extend past where you see leaves.
Herbicide Options
When the infestation is large or deeply established, herbicides become a practical necessity for most homeowners. The two most commonly used active ingredients for creeping myrtle are glyphosate and triclopyr, and they work differently.
Glyphosate
Glyphosate is a non-selective herbicide, meaning it kills essentially any green plant it contacts. It works by being absorbed through the leaves and traveling down into the roots, which is exactly what you need for a plant that regenerates from buried stems. The challenge with vinca is that waxy leaf surface. To improve absorption, apply glyphosate on a warm day when the plants are actively growing, typically spring through early fall. Adding a surfactant (a product that helps the spray stick and spread on waxy leaves) significantly improves results. Many ready-to-use glyphosate products already contain a surfactant, but if you are mixing a concentrate, look for a non-ionic surfactant additive at your garden center.
Expect to spray more than once. A single application may brown out the top growth but leave enough live root tissue to regenerate. Wait two to three weeks after the first application, watch for regrowth, and spray any green tissue that reappears. Most people need two to three rounds over the course of a growing season to fully eliminate an established patch.
Triclopyr
Triclopyr is a selective broadleaf herbicide, which means it kills broadleaf plants like vinca while leaving grasses unharmed. This makes it the better choice if the creeping myrtle has invaded a lawn and you want to kill the vinca without destroying the turf around it. Products containing triclopyr are sold under various brand names at garden centers, often marketed for brush or woody weed control. Follow the label rate for ground cover or broadleaf weeds.
Like glyphosate, triclopyr works best when applied to actively growing foliage in warm conditions. It is also systemic, meaning it moves through the plant to the roots. You will likely still need two applications spaced a few weeks apart.
Application Tips That Make a Real Difference
Regardless of which herbicide you use, a few practical details matter more than people expect. Spray in calm conditions so the product lands where you aim it. Avoid spraying right before rain, since most herbicides need several hours of dry time on the leaf to be absorbed. If the vinca patch is extremely thick and layered, mow or cut it back first and let it regrow for two to three weeks before spraying. Fresh new growth absorbs herbicide much more readily than old, tough, waxy foliage. That regrowth period feels counterintuitive, but it dramatically improves how well the spray works.
Organic and Non-Chemical Alternatives
Vinegar-based herbicides (horticultural vinegar with 20 percent acetic acid, not household vinegar at 5 percent) can burn back the foliage of creeping myrtle, but they are contact killers rather than systemic ones. They damage whatever green tissue the spray touches without traveling to the roots. This means vinegar will brown the tops but the root system typically survives and regrows. Repeated applications every week or two can gradually exhaust the plant’s energy reserves, but this takes considerable patience and far more product than a systemic herbicide approach.
Wood vinegar, a byproduct of charcoal production, has shown promise as an organic broadleaf herbicide. In field experiments, high-volume applications of wood vinegar achieved strong control of several broadleaf weed species, with complete kill of some species and over 80 percent control of others at the highest application rates.1Elsevier. The use of wood vinegar as a non-synthetic herbicide for control of broadleaf weeds It has not been widely tested on Vinca minor specifically, and the volumes required are much higher than conventional herbicides, but it represents a direction for gardeners looking for non-synthetic options.
Boiling water poured directly on cut vinca stems can kill root tissue in small, targeted areas. It is labor-intensive and only practical for very small patches or for spot-treating stubborn holdouts after you have cleared the bulk of the infestation by other means. Flame weeding with a propane torch works similarly as a contact method and carries obvious fire risk in dry conditions or near mulch.
The Best Combined Approach
For most people dealing with a moderate to large patch of creeping myrtle, the fastest and most reliable strategy combines methods rather than relying on any single one. A practical sequence looks like this:
- Cut back: Mow or trim the vinca as short as possible. Rake up and bag the clippings.
- Let it regrow: Wait two to three weeks for fresh, tender foliage to emerge.
- Spray: Apply glyphosate (if you want to clear everything) or triclopyr (if you want to save surrounding grass) to the new growth on a warm, calm, dry day.
- Wait and repeat: Check the area every two to three weeks. Spray any regrowth. Plan on two to three rounds minimum.
- Remove the dead material: Once no more regrowth appears after a month, rake out the dead vinca, pull any remaining root material you can reach, and prepare the area for replanting or mulching.
If you are committed to avoiding chemicals, substitute the spray step with a smothering approach. Cut back, cover with cardboard and mulch, and leave it for a full season. Check the edges regularly for escaping runners.
Timing Matters More Than You Think
Creeping myrtle is evergreen in most climates, which means it stays green through winter in mild regions. This can tempt people into spraying during a warm spell in January or February, but systemic herbicides need the plant to be actively transporting nutrients from leaves to roots, which happens during the growing season. Late spring through early fall is the effective window. The sweet spot is often late spring, when the plant is pushing vigorous new growth and the leaf surfaces are less toughened than they will be by midsummer.
Fall applications can also work well, particularly in September and early October. At that time of year, perennial plants are moving energy downward into their root systems to prepare for winter. A systemic herbicide applied during this downward-transport phase gets pulled deep into the roots more efficiently. If you miss the spring window, early fall is your second-best bet.
Preventing It From Coming Back
Even after you think you have eliminated every last bit of vinca, keep watching the area for at least a full year. Dormant root fragments buried a few inches deep can send up shoots months after you assumed the job was done. Pull any new shoots immediately before they establish a root network again.
If the creeping myrtle originally spread into your yard from a neighboring property, a physical root barrier along the property line can help. Landscape edging buried six to eight inches deep is usually enough, since vinca’s roots are shallow. Without that barrier, new runners will simply creep back across over time.
Replanting the cleared area with competitive, desirable plants also helps prevent reinfestation. Bare soil is an invitation for vinca fragments or seeds to take hold again. Dense ground covers, thick mulch, or a well-maintained lawn will outcompete any straggler shoots. If you are replanting a shade garden where the vinca was thriving, consider alternatives that fill the same ecological niche without the aggressive spreading habit.
Ground Covers That Replace Creeping Myrtle
One reason people planted vinca in the first place is that it solves a real problem: it covers bare ground in shade, tolerates poor soil, and stays green year-round. Finding a replacement that checks those boxes without becoming its own control headache is worth thinking about before you clear the old patch.
Native ground covers adapted to your region are generally the safest bet. Depending on your climate zone, options might include wild ginger, native sedges, creeping phlox, or pachysandra. Each of these has a different growth habit and light preference, so matching the replacement to the conditions in your specific site matters. A shade-tolerant native ground cover that is well-suited to your soil type will establish faster and suppress weeds more effectively than a plant that is merely surviving in the wrong conditions.
Avoid replacing one aggressive spreader with another. Some commonly recommended ground covers, like English ivy or wintercreeper, are themselves considered invasive in many regions and could create the exact same removal headache a few years down the line. Check with your local cooperative extension service or native plant society for recommendations specific to your area before choosing a replacement.
When Creeping Myrtle Is on a Slope or Hillside
Creeping myrtle is frequently planted on slopes and banks because its dense root mat holds soil in place and prevents erosion. Removing it from a slope creates a secondary problem: once the vinca is gone, the bare soil is vulnerable to washing away in heavy rain. If you are clearing vinca from a hillside, plan the removal in phases rather than stripping it all at once.
Work in sections, clearing one strip at a time and immediately stabilizing the bare soil with erosion-control fabric, straw mulch, or fast-establishing replacement plants before moving on to the next strip. This staged approach takes longer but prevents the kind of soil loss that can undermine retaining walls, expose tree roots, or send sediment into storm drains. On steep grades, consider consulting a landscape professional before removing a large established ground cover, since the erosion risk from a poorly timed removal can be worse than the vinca itself.
Common Mistakes That Let Vinca Win
The most common failure mode is underestimating how many retreatments are needed. People spray once, see the foliage brown and die back, declare victory, and stop paying attention. Six weeks later, the vinca is growing again from root fragments. Commit to monitoring the area through at least one full growing season after you think it is dead.
Another frequent mistake is composting the pulled material. Vinca stems are remarkably good at surviving in compost piles that do not reach high sustained temperatures. Bag it and send it to the landfill. Similarly, dumping pulled vinca in a wooded area or along a fence line just relocates the problem. The stems will root wherever they land if there is any soil contact.
Finally, people sometimes try to rototill vinca out of the ground. Tilling chops the stems and roots into dozens of fragments, each of which can sprout into a new plant. It is essentially a multiplication machine for Vinca minor. Unless you are planning to follow up tilling with thorough solarization or heavy mulching to kill the fragments, avoid it. Hand-digging with a fork, while slower, removes material intact rather than dispersing it.