What's eating my vincas?

Over the past few weeks I have been loosing some of my white vincas. They first turn sickly looking, then yellow and fall over. Yesterday, I found a new one that's dying and I stuck my finger under the root and it seems like there is a hole, but it could also be the original planting medium that is getting soft.

I don't think I have voles. Could it be some grub? "Vinca eating monster"?

This is the first year I have this problem. Last year, I had lots of beautiful vincas to fill in spots. Any ideas?

Are these a flower or a vine, Clementine? If they are the flowers, genus Catharanthus, they have been getting some disease, esp in the south. I was reading about it in one of the forums -- either this one of the Florida forum. (?) Essentially, it was decided that these cannot be grown in places where they have died. I think the people chatting about it didn't necessarily know the answer, but the concensus was it must be a soil born disease and the ground is infected where they die, so don't replant them there. Other people said the growers have some sort of virus and they sell bad plants.

Look around and see if you can find the thread or more information about this. Try PFs and also your county extension office or maybe your state Ag school website. It seemed like it was becoming a common problem from what I read.

If it's the vinca vine, true Vinca, then I have no idea.

Suzy

Suzy, thanks for your post. My vincas are the flower, not the vine type. and it sounds like we have this fungus that is discussed in an earlier thread. Funny thing is, I posted to that thread last year (and of course forgot) asking about a surface fungus that I had near the vincas I had then also. As it turns out, that was dog vomit slime mold, only I did not know it. My vincas were fine last year. I love them, they are such good fillers and I need a lot of white.

I am going to pull them all up, healthy or sick, and I also still have some reseeded pansies which are also very susceptible apparently and they will go as well.

Funny thing is, that there is a flagstone path in front of that bed and a seed must have gotten into the rock dust that is between the stone slabs, and I got the most beautiful, lush PALE PINK vinca there, I ought to take a picture. And that makes some sense from what I read in the other thread: vincas apparently like less acid soil than we generally have here. This vinca looks like it is going to live forever.

Oh, that's a shame. I didn't sow any or buy any because of the threads I read, but I doubt it is a problem up here at all in Limestone Country. Hopefully you can come up with an alternate flower you like as well for next year.

Suzy