Periwinkle

one of these has gone mad in my hedge.... one part stretches along the fifteen foot hedge....

he flowers remind me of a fan

Maybe it will go mad along my yukky chain link fence. ;o)))

A nice blue fan. ;o))))))

My new garden has this - I'm gonna be busy ripping it all out!!

Sooo, you made the move?!. Leave a clump here and there...they are lovely.

I have them in a fair few places Alex - I love too :)))

April 15th (16th officially, but they're friends so it saves having a day off work).

It's all going! I loath it as it's so invasive.............

Me too Paul.

I also bought Lily of the Valley....they are invasive as well. You probably don't like them either Meanie.

I love Lily of the Valley Alex too - love the smell ~:))))))))))))))) I have a Vinca Wojo jem too - it is beautiful :))))

Had to google Vinca Wojo jem...nice, matches one of my hedge.

It is such a lovely colour :))) a load of vincas trail down my pond edge

My God, what a lovely simple flower. What is it?

I'm glad you like it. "Vinca major" it is considered an invasive groundcover but I love it.

I think we have similar Vinca, but its flowers are white, not so bright blue as this one. Lovely.

Damned invasive around here!!!!

I would like a white one too Katarina.

So Meanie, does your new garden have room for more plants? Glass house? Conservatory?

It has a greenhouse, and once I get rid of the Perriwinkle, Roses, Japanese Anenomes and lord knows what else, plenty of room for new plants!

No chance of a conservatory as it's a listed building, but it has a cellar that will be converted into a grow room.

If this is really a vinca minor, its teas were used as a folk remedy for diabetes. There is also clinical evidence that the periwinkle chemical vinpocetine can increase blood flow to the brain, increasing oxygenation, and also protect brain cells from damage. Vinpocetine is lso tried as a means of reducing brain injury after strokes.

A greenhouse is great!
Give the plants away at least...don't bin them.

A cellar...no windows?

Wow Katarina, great info.
Nature has given us everything we need but money makers look the other way.

"A greenhouse is great!
Give the plants away at least...don't bin them.
A cellar...no windows?"

They will have to be burnt as part of my purge on all things that I dislike!
Next door has a Clematis too, but I've found out that the new owner will be moving in at pretty much the same time as me so I shall try to convince him that they are evil!

The cellar will get serious grow lights!

If you mean money makers Pharma industry, then they started to use it already. Vinpocetin you can buy now as a drug used after strokes, in mental problems durng menopause tc. I DO NOT UNDERSTAND THIS UNREASONABLE MOVEMENT AGAINST PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRY.

Now wouldn't it be funny if the new owner likes everything you don't!!!!!!

Katarina, I understand that everyone has their own oppinion and I respect that. ;o)

I respect it as well. I just do not understand that movement. That´s all.

Owing to the height of the wall I can't see most of it, but the Clematis is another matter!

Katarina - the following links may explain a little.............

http://www.thebureauinvestigates.com/2010/08/11/documentary-reveals-the-unhealthy-profits-of-the-pharmaceutical-industry/

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2010/nov/17/drugs-companies-exorbitant-profits-nhs

Bear in mind that in 2010 Biogen Idec reported OPERATING PROFITS of almost 1billion dollars on sales of just 4billion dollars!
The major pharmaceutical companies exploit tax-payers by holding us to ransom over health. There are very few industries that can operate at such a profit margin at any time, let alone in a recession. Such profits are common place. Merck (who do have a much larger retail presence admittedly) reported OPERATING PROFITS of almost 13billion dollars on revenue of just $27.5billion in 2010!

Meanie, I know all these anti-pharma movements, lot of communistic thinking inside. All see just money and poor people dying of drugs..Fight against pharma industry. But when we start to have a sore throat, let´s go to drug store and if we get infectious disease, we seek help in antibiotics. Right? What about those millions of cancer survivors who survive thanks to modern drugs? What about plague, morbilli, TBC and anthrax, treatable now only thanks to drugs? There is no drug without side effects. But benefit/risk ratio on a large scale is just clear. I am physician, but I will let all those people who think they know a lot about medicines to let be treated by theselves. Without drugs.
Sorry, but I saw patients who survived cancer thanks to treatments and a boy who died of treatable cancer just because his father was too stupid and did not want to see his son without hair, so did not allow to treat him.
I know, to be against pharmaceutical industry is very modern now. But too communistic in its details. Hope this will not make you angry. I am just direct person :)

Nothing about communism at all, it's just about greed! They hide behind the adage "we need a profit to do research", yet in 2010 AFTER research costs they held back 20 to 45% in profit in just those two examples.

When my old GP retired and sold his practice we could get in to see a doctor in less than two days - it is now eight days, despite many patients changing their practice. He would never allow a drug company representative in, now they have two hours a day with reps (and coincidently lots of holidays!). Nobody leaves without a prescription any more, no matter what the ailment! I know all this for a fact, as we had an insider working there as a group of us, led by my old GP, put together a file which is now in the hands of the PHSO. The new practice owners are in the back pocket of the drug companies and as a result patient care has suffered.

Nothing you say makes me angry Katarina, I like debate! Even if you are wrong!!!!! (That was said in fun understand)

I can´t help, this sounds to me like the problems with somebody´s profits. And with criminals in white coats. Why does it bother if the doctor meets reps? Are you going to buy a car without testing it? Are you going to buy a coat without trying it? Why does it bother you so much? I think it would be OK if you complain on maltreatment, but to complain that doctor gets information about drugs from reps, that is absurd. Insiders, my God. Unfortunately, it is pre-election song from politicans studying in Oxford, like our ex prime minister, I cannot get rid of suspicion that this is old good communistic strategy.
Because I respect community of gardeneres much more then community of politicians, insiders and different indoctrinated groups, I am not going to discuss this problem anymore. Let just come to conclusion, that we have very different experience behind and very different point of views.

...and I wish our ex-premier to stay in Oxford for a rest of her life. She succesfuly made herself enemy of medical professionals - her sponsors manipulated press, spied trade unions, leading professionals and made with her minister such a mess in laws and medical care, that we have now the worst situation after 22 years in medical care.I met recently one top expert in invasive cardiology and he said to me: "If she turn on me and ask me for help, I will tell her, I will not help you, madam. You do not trust me and I do not trust to you. I will help her only in case of required reanimation."

We do have very different views and I accept that. So in closing..........

" Why does it bother if the doctor meets reps? Are you going to buy a car without testing it? Are you going to buy a coat without trying it? Why does it bother you so much?
I think it would be OK if you complain on maltreatment, but to complain that doctor gets information about drugs from reps, that is absurd. Insiders, my God."

It bothers my former GP (who set up this practice) because
a] in his own words, "they are only reps." They do not offer any great insight, merely push their products. And "the doctors can afford to buy their own holidays" - this is why insiders are useful!
b] a practice that was formerly efficient (48hrs longest to get an appointment) now has less patients but cannot see you for an average of 8days!
This is an awful state of affairs.

I personally would never want the responsibility of looking after anyones health, and on the whole respect those that do. But it should be taken seriously and not seen as a way to wealth as is becoming increasingly common here.
Lord help us when our governments healthcare reforms kick in!
Anyway, I too agree to disagree.