'Wojo's Jem' vinca holds its own in the heat

By Rebecca Burcher Jones
Correspondent

With triple-digit numbers hovering on the thermometer, my garden can't accommodate plants needing extra attention to survive summer's heat.

There was a time when I did whatever it took for my plants - no matter how hot it got. I would be outside well after dark, lugging hoses and heavy watering cans to containers, window boxes and the far reaches of my yard.

I'd wipe sweat and smack mosquitoes for as long as it took until all my plants had gotten enough water to carry them through the next day's heat.

This year, however, things are different. It's not that I care any less for my plants, but I simply am no longer able to handle the heat. Chalk it up to being middle-aged, or maybe we really are having hotter hot days, but plants at my address are now left to survive on their own - or not - when temperatures soar.

Among my favorites for hot-temperature survivability and reliability is a cultivar of Vinca maculata known as 'Wojo's Jem.' Although it's typically sold as an annual, this attractive variegated foliage plant, with its ivory-centered leaves and their dark-green margins, is hardy year-round in Hampton Roads.

For me, this no-care cultivar has grown contentedly in containers on my deck ever since it was first marketed in 2000 by the Proven Winners brand.

According to patent documentation for Wojo's Jem, this is a "naturally occurring branch sport" of an unidentified selection of Vinca maculata.

It was discovered in 1996 by Joe Wojciechowski, a nursery owner who's operated Wojo's Greenhouse in Ortonville, Mich., for more than 25 years.

Before Wojciechowski discovered the cultivar, the usual variegated Vinca maculata featured green-colored centers and ivory margins, which is the reverse of the display with Wojo's Jem.

A couple years after his discovery, Wojciechowski sought a patent for the plant he dubbed Wojo's Jem, using his nursery's name and initials from his daughters' names - Jessica, Emily and Beth Marie.

Wojo's Jem is now sold around the world as a ground cover and a bedding plant. It' also a popular addition for containers and hanging baskets because of its trailing nature. The Proven Winners brand calls it one of its "best-sellers."

I know from my own experience that it is truly drought-resistant. Once established, it requires no special attention.

Proven Winners also promotes Wojo's Jem as a plant that deer will not eat, which is another plus.

It grows in any conditions - part sun to full sun - and easily brightens a shady area with its pronounced creamy, ivory coloration. There also is interesting variegation, leaf to leaf. Although Proven Winners says it produces blue flowers, like other varieties of Vinca, mine has never produced flowers. But who needs flowers in addition to the striking foliage on this plant?

Ask for it at garden centers that sell the Proven Winners brand, or search for it on the Internet, coupling "Wojo's Jem" with "Vinca maculata."

Rebecca Burcher Jones, rebeccaburcher@cox.net