Altar frontal for Ipsden Ch. Oxon: periwinkle (hand embroidered by Mary Addison)

Now this is definitely a flower that flourishes locally, especially in the sort of partial shade to be found under the beech trees at the end of the vicarage garden. Its latin name is vinca, an abbreviation of the ancient Roman ‘vincapervinca’ which literally means ‘bonds through bonds’, an all too accurate description of its interlocking mat-weaving habit. In my experience it’s easy enough to lift up the netted mesh of foliage but almost impossible to pull it apart without lacerating your hands. This really should not be attempted without a nice sharp pair of secateurs.

Greater periwinkle (From Mr Marshall’s Flower Book, Royal Collections Publications, 2008)

My periwinkle is the lesser one, while Mrs Marshall’s above is the greater periwinkle. The book the picture is taken from is one I’ve consulted before and  is an abridgement of ‘The Florilegium of Alexander Marshall’ greatly prized as it is the only surviving example of this sort of flower book from the C17th. I started my periwinkle in the above mauve, and indeed they can be mauve (as well as pink and Gertrude Jekyll’s much loved white one) but it felt all wrong as I knew those in our garden were blue – indeed a periwinkle sort of blue… so the mauve was unpicked.

A page of designs with periwinkles by M.P.Verneuil (Dover Pulications, 1976)

I’m fascinated as to whether the direction of the 5 petals (slight) rotation is constant or perhaps varies with species  but I can find no further information. The buds are distinctive in being twisted like a furled umbrella and I suspect the direction of furl corresponds to the direction of whorl. A delightful little flower but one that should be watched over if it is not to overwhelm other plants beneath its woven surface.

Altar frontal for Ipsden Ch. Oxon: periwinkle (hand embroidered by Mary Addison)