Our Favorite Flowers: Annual Vinca (Madagascar Periwinkle)

Vinca (Catharanthus roseus) offers a nearly foolproof way to have reliable, bright color even in the intense heat of southern summers. Hardy only in USDA Zones 10 and 11, vinca is grown as an annual bedding plant. Cultivars come in shades of pink, rose, lilac and white (above, 'Parasol') and are usually compact plants 6 to 18 inches tall and 18 inches wide.