Vinca Minor is a cover crop — grown to build and protect the soil rather than for a harvest of its own. It's hardy across USDA zones 4 through 8, shrugs off deer and grows just as well in a container as in the ground. Its early summer flowers are a modest draw for honeybees.
Vinca Minor — the short answer
Vinca Minor: grown in zones 4–8, part sun.
- USDA zones
- 4–8
- Manual horticultural correction (source not retained); NC State Extension and Missouri Botanical Garden, with the remaining rows from other published sources or Growable Ground compilation
- Sun
- Part Sun
- Growable Ground Plant Database
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 Minor on your exact land.
Zone averages can't see the slope, soil, frost, and sun that decide whether vinca minor actually takes — and those shift from one yard to the next. Enter your address and we'll score vinca minor against your land's real conditions.
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What Vinca Minor is
Vinca Minor reaches around 4 inches at maturity. It blooms blue in early summer. It's also deer-resistant and well suited to containers.
How to grow Vinca Minor
Vinca Minor grows in USDA zones 4 through 8. Vinca Minor does best in part sun — at least 4 hours of direct sun a day, on well-drained ground.
USDA Zones
4-8
USDA PHZM 2023
Soil pH
Data pending
Sun
Part Sun
Growable Ground plant catalog
Drainage
well (dry spells)
Growable Ground plant catalog
Mature Height
0.3 ft
Growable Ground plant catalog
Frost-Free Days
0+
The frost-free stretch it needs start to finish — short-season areas may need an indoor head start.
Growable Ground plant catalog
Start the season right
Plant vinca minor in part sun with at least 4 hours of direct sun.
Match the soil
Pull a soil test from your local Extension lab to confirm pH and drainage match vinca minor's needs before planting.
Water steadily
Keep the root zone evenly moist through establishment. A 2–3 inch mulch layer holds moisture without waterlogging.
Turn it in before it seeds
Cut vinca minor down or turn it into the soil before it sets seed, while the growth is still green — that's when it returns the most to the ground.
Where Vinca Minor thrives
Vinca Minor is hardy across USDA zones 4 through 8. 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 4–8 spans average winter lows from -30°F to 20°F (USDA PHZM 2023). Across the 50 states and DC, that band covers 25 outright and splits 26 more down the middle — and which side of that line your land sits on changes the answer.
Zones 4–8·Where Vinca Minor growsOpen map →
Where Vinca Minor stands, state by state
Vinca Minor is rated for zones 4–8 — a cold floor USDA puts at -30 to -20°F. Across the 50 states and DC, 25 sit fully inside that band, the line runs through 26 more, and 0 sit outside it — and inside every split state, the same line runs on at county grain.
Fully inside zones 4–8
25 states
3 of 25 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 Minor
Growing guides for vinca minor
In rotation planning, vinca minor counts as a Other — beds recover best when other crops don’t follow each other in the same spot year over year. (Growable Ground derivation — crop-rotation group from botanical family)
Related plants in grass/groundcover
Good to know
One caution for pet owners — vinca minor 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: ASPCA.)
Vinca Minor offers low value to bees and other pollinators.
Your land is one point inside Vinca Minor'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 Minor will thrive on your land
Zone averages are a start. Your exact soil pH, drainage, sun exposure, and frost dates shape whether vinca minor actually takes — we score it against the real 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.
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How we know this about Vinca Minor
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•USDA PHZM•ASPCA
Frequently asked questions
Can I grow Vinca Minor in my zone?
Vinca Minor grows in USDA hardiness zones 4 through 8 (USDA PHZM 2023). Zone is one factor — soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific parcel also shape whether it takes.
When should you plant Vinca Minor?
Time vinca minor to your own season rather than the calendar. Your local frost dates set the exact window — a Growable Ground report reads them for your address.
How much sun does Vinca Minor need?
Vinca Minor does well in partial sun — around 4 hours of direct sun, and it takes some afternoon shade in stride. That flexibility makes it a good match for a bed the house or a nearby tree shades for part of the day. A Growable Ground report maps how the sun actually falls on your land, hour by hour, so you can set it where the light lines up.
What soil does Vinca Minor need?
Specific pH data for vinca minor is pending. It prefers well-drained ground. A soil test from your local Extension lab confirms what your site needs.
Does Vinca Minor attract pollinators?
Yes — vinca minor's flowers are a modest nectar source for honeybees.
Is Vinca Minor safe for pets?
Vinca Minor is toxic to pets (dogs,cats) with moderate severity. Keep it out of reach, and call ASPCA Animal Poison Control at (888) 426-4435 in an emergency. (Source: ASPCA.)