The evergreen as an easy-care ground cover
Many gardeners are familiar with the problem: in shady areas under large tree tops or in the shade of a house, the lawn often grows very poorly. An alternative is the relatively low-growing small periwinkle (Vinca minor), as it also thrives well in full shade. The practical thing about this plant is that a closed carpet of plants forms relatively quickly. In contrast to the lawn, this does not require regular mowing and otherwise only very little maintenance. However, it depends on the planting distance and the number of shoots of the planted cuttings how quickly a closed cover of the ground cover forms.
also read
- The recommended planting distance for the evergreen ground cover
- The ground cover evergreen - hardy without protection?
- The evergreen in the garden: ground cover with a relatively long flowering period
Separate rooted shoots from the mother plants
The cultivation from seeds does not really play a role in the reproduction, since the plants in their respective location easily spread over runners anyway. You can easily get numerous cuttings from an existing stock of evergreens by pulling isolated rooted shoots out of the ground and separating them from the mother plants with secateurs. Then plant the cuttings you have gained directly in the new location or in a pot so that the roots do not dry out.
Root cuttings of the evergreen
While the larger Vinca major grows too high for some gardeners, the slightly better hardy Vinca minor remains very low. Therefore there is actually no need for pruning with the Vinca minor varieties. However, you can easily prune the plants in late spring to rejuvenate the plants and at the same time to obtain cuttings. Please note the following points:
- do not cut too deep (enough shoots and branches must remain near the ground)
- use good quality secateurs to make clean cuts
- pull the cuttings in full shade, otherwise they will dry out easily
- keep the (sandy if possible) substrate evenly moist
Tips
With hard ground it can be very difficult to actually get rooted foothills of the evergreen out of the ground together with the roots. Either wait for a rainy phase and the then somewhat softened soil, or you can help yourself and let cut offshoots take root.
