Catharanthus roseus Cora Cascade Mix - Madagascar periwinkle

Catharanthus roseus Cora Cascade Mix, derived from American genetic research, are more disease-resistant than usual varieties. They are wonderful descendants of C. roseus, with a very attractive ramified and trailing habit. They bear an abundance of blooms, which work wonders in hanging baskets. They even work well on rockeries and banks. They produce flowers with various colours full of freshness and fantasy, combining white, pink, mauve, and red. These fast-growing plants are water-efficient and heat-resistant. They are also good conservatory plants. These periwinkles are usually grown as annuals in our climate.

The Madagascar periwinkle belongs to the Apocynaceae family, related to the perennial and hardy periwinkles we grow in our gardens. This rather slender, frost-sensitive perennial is endemic to Madagascar, where it grows up to 1800m (5905ft) above sea level. Catharanthus roseus is the origin of many cultivars with a much more compact habit and larger, brightly coloured flowers. Recent research has also led to the selection of cultivars less susceptible to attack by soil fungi that develop in conditions that are both moist and hot.

The plants in the Cora Cascade mix form mounds of leafy stems reaching a height of 10 to 15cm (4 to 6in) in one season with a spread of 50 to 75cm (20 to 30in). Their rather fleshy and well-branched stems bear oval and entire leaves, 5 to 7cm (2 to 3in) long, with a shiny medium green colour. They theoretically persist in winter if the plants are protected from frost. The flowers appear in the axil of the leaves, usually in the upper part of the stems. They bloom from spring to the end of summer, but can flower all year round in hot climates. Each flower has a short tube that opens into a corolla 4 to 5cm (2in) wide, composed of 5 flat ray florets forming a regular star. Depending on the plants, the flowers are either bicoloured or solid. The solid colours are pure white, red, mauve to light violet, and shades of pink. Some bicoloured flowers have a central area contrasting with the rest of the corolla: red with a white heart, or white with a pink heart.

Cora Cascade periwinkles form flowering cascades, making them fabulous plants for hanging baskets and containers, just like calibrachoas and surfinias. However, they are less commonly used in summer compositions, even though they are indifferent to heat, much more frugal, and undemanding in water. They can be used alone, or for example, combined in a large pot with Dichondra 'Silver Falls' and bacopas, placed around an upright-scented geranium (Pelargonium cucullatum, P. quercifolium). They are also very pretty bedding plants and excellent for banks and rockeries with mauve wallflowers (Erysimum 'Bowles Mauve') or compact shrubby veronicas.

Attention! All parts of the plant contain toxic alkaloids, from which effective molecules have been derived for the treatment of leukaemia.

Please be aware that our young plug plants are professional products intended for experienced gardeners. Upon receipt, repot and store them in sheltered areas (veranda, greenhouse, cold frame) at a temperature above 14°C (57.2°F) for a few weeks before planting them outdoors once the risk of frost has passed.