Vinca minor 'illumination'

Vinca minor ‘Illumination’ is a low, mat-forming evergreen periwinkle valued for its striking variegated foliage and dependable groundcover in Irish gardens. Its leaves display bold yellow-gold centres with green margins, creating year-round colour, while blue flowers appear in spring. Thriving in partial to full shade and tolerating dry shade once established, it’s ideal for underplanting shrubs, edging paths, covering banks, and weaving through rockeries. Best in moderately fertile, well-drained soil; trim after flowering to manage spread and keep the carpet dense.

To help give a clear sense of scale, the stone wall shown in our photos measures approximately 265cm in height. We also use familiar garden tools as visual references: a digging fork (110cm tall) and a hand fork (30cm tall). These are included purely as size guides to help you better judge proportions when viewing the images.

Position: Partial shade to full shade (north- or east-facing)

Rate of Growth: Moderate to vigorous; spreading groundcover

Soil: Moderately fertile, well-drained soil; tolerates a wide pH range

Hardiness: Fully hardy in Ireland

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Plant at a Glance