64 Madigascar Periwinkle (Catharanthus roseus) Planted In Expanded Front Porch Bed - June 2025

Often called "annual Vinca" or just plain "Periwinkle", you'll often find flats of this flowering annual at big box nurseries marked simply as "Vinca".  They're an affordable way to fill up your beds and borders with a pop of color.  Missouri Botanical Garden describes them as:

Catharanthus roseus, commonly called periwinkle, Madagascar periwinkle or annual vinca, is an erect to spreading tender perennial in the dogbane family typically mounding 6-18” (less frequently to 24”) tall and as wide. It produces attractive bushy foliage that is covered by an often profuse bloom of phlox-like flowers from summer to frost. Best flowering is in summer.

The NC State Extension listing adds this:

It is utilized as an annual ground cover in beds and for bedding and borders in drought-tolerant gardens, butterfly gardens, and recreational play areas. It may also be grown in a container or hanging basket.

Ground cover.  That's what I need out here.  Last Fall, I expanded this front porch bed by more-than-a-foot out using the 'lazy bed extensions' method because I wanted to plant a wide band of colorful annuals up here.  

In previous years, I've used various annuals. I've used French Marigolds and really liked the pop of orange color they provide.   In 2023, I used Dusty Millers and they were Spectacular.  I forget how big they got.  (I should put them back on my 2026 to-do list, shouldn't I?)

This year, I'm using Madigascar Periwinkle.  64 plant plugs of them to span the whole front porch bed from the stairs to the property line.  

Below is a look at the newly-planted plugs from the nursery flats: