Catharanthus roseus Heatwave Mix seeds - - Madagascar periwinkle

Sow this Madagascar Periwinkle Heatwave Mix seed blend early to enjoy a multicoloured flowering from June to October. Catharanthus roseus is a tender perennial from Madagascar which is cultivated as an annual. Superb in the garden in borders, flowerbeds or beds, it can also be grown in pots, hanging baskets and planters. This very floriferous plant is particularly easy to grow due to its resistance to heat and diverse growing conditions. It is a fast-growing annual, one of the best for flowering displays.

The Madagascar Periwinkle, whose scientific name is Catharanthus roseus, belongs to the Apocynaceae family, rich with about 350 genera and 5000 species, mostly native to subtropical and tropical zones, like Frangipani or Hoya, grown as a houseplant. Nevertheless, some grow in our temperate or Mediterranean climates, such as the popular Periwinkles (Vinca), which form groundcover carpets, or the much less common Oxypetalum with its unreal blue flowers.
The Catharanthus genus comprises eight species, only one of which is not endemic to Madagascar. In its country of origin, C. roseus, the Madagascar Periwinkle, grows in the east and south of the large island, from sea level up to 1800 m altitude, in both moist but well-drained soils and dry ones. This great versatility explains its usefulness in horticulture and the number of cultivars on the market today. It is a herbaceous perennial plant that can reach 1 m in height, with an erect or trailing habit. It bears elliptical to obovate leaves, 2.5 to 9 cm long and 1 to 3.5 cm wide. Borne on short petioles (less than 5 mm), the leaves are glossy and dark green. The solitary flowers, formed of a tube 2.5 to 3 cm long which opens into spreading, rounded petals, are white, pink or red depending on the specimen. In these climates, the plant flowers almost continuously all year round.
The Heatwave Mix brings together the twelve flower colours of the varieties from the Heatwave range, plus the Santa Fe variety. Your seeds will therefore give you young plants whose main colours will be white, pink and purple, as well as many intermediate variations, monochrome or with a different coloured heart. All these nuances are perfectly highlighted by the medium to dark green, satiny foliage. These fast-growing annuals sown at the beginning of the year will produce plants approximately 30 cm high and wide by late spring. Their compactness creates carpets of flowers within beds and makes them ideal for planters or pots. The 3 to 4 cm diameter flowers are constantly renewed from June to October, making this plant one of the best for summer flowering displays. These Madagascar Periwinkles require almost no maintenance; the faded flowers fall off by themselves. The plants are quite resistant to drought and heat, even if some additional water is beneficial in summer. Their fertilisation needs are also quite modest.

The Madagascar Periwinkle Heatwave Mix blend will bring you maximum pleasure for minimum effort and care. Growing from seed is economical, allowing you to obtain many young plants at low cost and cover a large space en masse. On par with Petunias and Surfinias, this annual is great in the summer garden. You can also use it in combination to form displays in containers alongside Bacopa with its charming little flowers, or the superb Euphorbia 'Diamond Frost', with its multitude of small white flowers that halo the plant like a cloud.

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