Vinca is a perennial grown for its blue blooms, which open from spring through fall and return year after year. It's hardy across USDA zones 2 through 11 and shrugs off deer. Its flowers are a moderate draw for butterflies and moths.
Vinca — the short answer
Vinca: grown in zones 2–11, full sun, pH 5.5–7.5, about 75 days to maturity.
- USDA zones
- 2–11
- Not verified — NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox lists zones 10a–11b
- Soil pH
- 5.5–7.5
- FAO ECOCROP
- Sun
- Full Sun
- Converted from FAO ECOCROP
- Days to Maturity
- 75 days
- We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
Plant data: Growable Ground Plant Database, compiled from FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS and university Extension sources — each tile names its own row's source, because per-field provenance varies.
Score Vinca on your exact land.
Zone averages can't see the slope, soil, frost, and sun that decide whether vinca actually takes — and those shift from one yard to the next. Enter your address and we'll score vinca against your land's real conditions.
We read public map data for this spot — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
No card required · your parcel report in seconds — read in full free for your first 14 days
What Vinca is
Vinca grows as a perennial and reaches around 6 inches at maturity. It blooms blue from spring through fall. It's also deer-resistant.
Life cycle, mature height, bloom period and flower colour: We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
How to grow Vinca
Vinca grows in USDA zones 2 through 11. Vinca does best in full sun — at least 6 hours of direct sun a day — and soil from pH 5.5 to 7.5, on well-drained ground. It needs around 1,200 growing degree days to mature, which is why climate matters as much as soil.
USDA Zones
2-11
Not verified — NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox lists zones 10a–11b
Soil pH
5.5 - 7.5
FAO ECOCROP
Sun
Full Sun
Converted from FAO ECOCROP
Drainage
well (dry spells)
FAO ECOCROP
Minimum Growing Temperature
50°F
Below this it stops growing rather than dies — a pace limit, not a survival limit.
FAO ECOCROP
Days to Maturity
75 days
We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
GDD Required
1200+
Growing degree-days of accumulated warmth it needs to mature — humid summers reach this faster than cool coastal ones.
We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
Mature Height
0.5 ft
We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
Start the season right
Plant vinca in full sun with at least 6 hours of direct sun, once the soil has warmed and frost risk has passed. We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
Match the soil
Vinca prefers pH 5.5 to 7.5 (FAO ECOCROP). A quick soil test from your local Extension lab tells you whether to add lime or sulfur to land in band.
Water steadily
Keep the root zone evenly moist through establishment. We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet. A 2–3 inch mulch layer holds moisture without waterlogging.
Harvest at its peak
Cut vinca blooms in the cool of the morning, just as they open, for the longest display.
Where Vinca thrives
On hardiness alone, vinca grows across most of the country — its range (USDA zones 2 through 11) is unusually wide. Zone is only the starting point, though: the soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific land decide how well it actually does.
A USDA zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme winter minimum, so zones 2–11 spans average winter lows from -50°F to 50°F (USDA PHZM 2023). Across the 50 states and DC, that band covers 48 outright and splits 3 more down the middle — and which side of that line your land sits on changes the answer.
Two different numbers hide in that range: zones 2–11 is where vinca is GROWN, but it survives winter in the ground only down to zone 10 (NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox). Colder than that, it is grown as an annual or brought under cover.
Zones 2–11·Where Vinca growsOpen map →
Continental US shown — Alaska and US Pacific territories sit outside the federal map's polygon dataset.
This map is derived from the USDA ARS / PRISM Plant Hardiness Zone Map (2023) and is not the official USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map.
Where Vinca stands, state by state
Vinca is rated for zones 2–11 — a cold floor USDA puts at -50 to -40°F. Across the 50 states and DC, 48 sit fully inside that band, the line runs through 3 more, and 0 sit outside it — and inside every split state, the same line runs on at county grain.
Fully inside zones 2–11
48 states
3 of 48 shown
State zone extents: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM) 2023. A zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme minimum temperature, so a state that splits the band contains the boundary — its own page draws the county line, and a parcel report resolves which side your land sits on.
What grows around Vinca
Growing guides for vinca
Related plants in annual flower
Good to know
One caution for pet owners — vinca is toxic to dogs and cats (moderate severity). Keep it out of reach, and call ASPCA Animal Poison Control at (888) 426-4435 in an emergency. (Source: NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox.)
Vinca offers moderate value to bees and other pollinators. We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
Your land is one point inside Vinca's range
This page resolves to the species. Your state page draws the county line, and a report reads the parcel — the soil pH, drainage, sun, and frost dates on your exact ground, which no species average can see.
See if Vinca will thrive on your land
Zone averages are a start. Your soil pH, drainage, sun exposure, and frost dates shape whether vinca actually takes. We score it against the mapped and modelled conditions at your address.
Three things about your exact spot that zone averages miss:
We read public map data for this spot — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
25+ data sources analyzed in seconds
How we know this about Vinca
The figures above are cited per row, not per site: the pH band names this plant’s own source column, the three temperature figures each carry their own, and days-to-maturity cites the publication that actually lists it. All of it comes from the Growable Ground Plant Database — a compilation over FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS, and university Extension sources, published openly with per-field provenance.
Grounded inUSDA PLANTS Database
Frequently asked questions
Can I grow Vinca in my zone?
Vinca grows in USDA hardiness zones 2 through 11. Zone is one factor — soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific parcel also shape whether it takes.
When should you plant Vinca?
Most growers plant vinca after the last spring frost, once the soil has warmed. Your local frost dates set the exact window — a Growable Ground report reads them for your address.
How much sun does Vinca need?
Vinca needs full sun — a spot that catches at least 6 hours of direct summer sun a day. We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet. In more shade it still grows, but usually gives a smaller, later crop. The catch is that a yard rarely gets even light everywhere — a fence, the house, or one tall tree can quietly take those hours. A Growable Ground report reads the real sun-hours across your land, canopy and buildings included, so you can pick the brightest bed before you plant.
What soil does Vinca need?
Vinca prefers soil pH 5.5 to 7.5, on well-drained ground (FAO ECOCROP). Your report scores your parcel's mapped soil against that using USDA SSURGO data.
Does Vinca attract pollinators?
Yes — vinca's flowers are a solid nectar source for butterflies and moths. We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
Is Vinca safe for pets?
Vinca is toxic to dogs and cats with moderate severity. Keep it out of reach, and call ASPCA Animal Poison Control at (888) 426-4435 in an emergency. (Source: NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox.)
Keep exploring Vinca
Vinca state by state
Every state vinca's zone reaches — 34 link straight to that state's vinca growing page; the rest open the state's full growing guide.