How to Grow Periwinkle So It Flourishes in a Pot: Home Balcony Container Growing Methods and Precautions

Periwinkle, also called Madagascar periwinkle, gets its name because its flowering period is relatively long and it can bloom in spring, summer and winter alike. Periwinkle comes in a very rich range of colours and has elegant flower shapes, making it especially suitable for growing as a potted plant at home. So if you are growing periwinkle in a pot on a balcony, how should you care for it? Let's take a look below at the care tips together!

Methods for Growing Periwinkle in Pots on a Home Balcony

1. Soil: Periwinkle prefers fertile soil with good drainage and tolerates poor soil, but it must absolutely not be on the alkaline side. Compacted, poorly aerated clay soil results in poor plant growth, yellowing leaves and no flowers.

2. Sunlight: Periwinkle is a light-loving plant, and during the growing period it must have sufficient sunlight so that the leaves are deep green and glossy and the flower colours are vivid. If it is grown in shade for a long time, the leaves turn yellow and fall off.

3. Temperature: Periwinkle likes a warm, slightly dry environment with plenty of sunlight. The optimum growing temperature is 18-24°C from March to July, and 13-18°C from September to March of the following year, with winter temperatures not below 10°C.

4. Watering: Periwinkle dislikes wet conditions and fears waterlogging, so the potting soil should not be watered too much, as excessive moisture affects growth and development. Especially for plants overwintering indoors, watering should be strictly controlled, and it is better to keep them on the dry side, otherwise they are very easily damaged by cold. For open-ground cultivation, during heavy summer rainstorms, take care to drain promptly to avoid waterlogging causing the whole patch to die.

5. Fertilising: When fertilising periwinkle, you can apply a compound fertiliser and a liquid fertiliser alternately once every ten days. A layer of base fertiliser should also be spread at the bottom of the periwinkle pot soil as far as possible, to ensure the nutrient content of the potting soil.

6. Pests and diseases: The periwinkle plant itself is toxic, so it is relatively resistant to pests and diseases. The main diseases at the seedling stage are seedling damping-off and grey mould, and in addition you should prevent fertiliser burn and pesticide burn at the seedling stage. If these occur, immediately water thoroughly with clean water and improve ventilation to reduce the damage.

7. Pruning: Periwinkle is a herbaceous plant and is quite suitable for potting, but take care not to let the plant grow too tall, which would affect indoor decoration and ornamental value, so after it has established in the pot, pinch out the growing tips several times to encourage more branching and more flowers, and after flowering the spent flowers must be cut off.

Precautions for Growing Periwinkle in Pots

1. Use fertile, loose soil with good water permeability to grow periwinkle, which will let the plant grow more luxuriantly. You can use peat, perlite, vermiculite and so on as the growing medium, then add some pine needles and organic fertiliser to it. Nutrient soil mixed in this way lets the plant grow very quickly and is also less prone to the soil becoming compacted.

2. This plant likes to grow in a relatively dry environment, so never water it too much. When the plant is flowering, you should also control watering, and only need to keep the soil moist. In winter, try to stop watering and keep the potting soil dry, otherwise the roots will be damaged by cold.

3. In order to make periwinkle bloom frequently, you need to apply an organic fertiliser once a month. And after fertilising, water promptly, so that the fertiliser concentration in the soil does not become too high.

How to Make Periwinkle Fill Out Its Pot

Propagation: You can use propagation to make periwinkle fill out its pot; both seed propagation and cutting propagation work, but periwinkle grown from seed grows more robustly than that grown from cuttings.

As an ornamental flower, periwinkle is a very good choice; once it fills out its pot it is very attractive to look at, and it can remain in its flowering period all year round. Besides its ornamental value, periwinkle also has high medicinal efficacy. But I must remind fellow gardeners that when placing it indoors you must keep it away from children, and it must absolutely not be eaten, as accidental ingestion will cause adverse reactions in the body.

How to Prune Periwinkle

Periwinkle is a herbaceous plant and suitable for potting, but note that you must not let its plant grow too tall, so as not to affect indoor decoration and ornamental value. Therefore, after it has established in the pot, pinch out the growing tips several times to encourage periwinkle to produce more branches and more flowers, and after flowering the spent flowers need to be cut off.

In addition, pest-damaged branches also need to be pruned, and fertiliser and water management strengthened. When pruning in winter and summer, pest-damaged branches and dead, dry branches should be cut back hard. At the same time, fertiliser and water management should also be strengthened to encourage periwinkle to send out new shoots, renew the canopy and restore its vigour.

As described above, if you have time you can plant several pots of periwinkle in different colours, and when they come into flower they will be a riot of colour and full of variety, giving you the sensation of a hundred flowers blooming together! However, periwinkle dislikes both wet and dry conditions, so when caring for it you must pay attention to the amount of water you give it!