A trailing evergreen groundcover with glossy, dark green leaves and blue-violet flowers in spring. It grows in deep shade where little else will, but it spreads by rooting stems and has escaped into Arizona creeks and canyons, so we use it with real caution.
Living with it in the Phoenix Valley
Watering
Follow the shrub, groundcover and succulent schedule in our Landscape Care guide. It only thrives with regular moisture and shade. Keep in mind that the same moisture that keeps it lush also fuels its spread.
Pruning
Trim the edges regularly to keep it in its bed. When removing it, take the whole plant, runners and all, since small fragments can root again.
Heat and sun
It tolerates heat but not exposure. In Phoenix it belongs on north sides of walls or under dense shade.
How our designers use it
Deep shade only
Where it is used, it is in shaded beds fully enclosed by walls or hardscape, well away from washes, drainage paths and open ground.
Better choices
For most shady spots our designers lean toward mondo grass, liriope or purple heart, which cover the ground without the same risk of escaping.
Good to know
Invasive
The University of Arizona lists bigleaf periwinkle as an invasive plant. It smothers native plants along streams and canyon bottoms, and stem fragments carried by water start new colonies. Avoid planting it near washes or natural areas.
Around the pool
Soft and thornless, but it needs constant moisture and shade, so pool surrounds are rarely a good fit.
