Pachysandra

Where there's shade, pachysandra is a no-fail choice for an attractive, durable groundcover. It's easy on the eye and does not need mowing. Its evergreen or semievergreen foliage is arranged in whorls topped in spring by short spikes of fragrant white or pinkish flowers. Pachysandra thrives in most locations except where soil is dry. One note: Japanese spurge may become invasive and is a greedy neighbor.

Light:

Sun,Part Sun,Shade

Zones:

4-9

Plant Type:

Perennial

Plant Height:

8-12 inches tall

Plant Width:

Several feet wide

Bloom Time:

Blooms spring and early summer, depending on variety

Landscape Uses:

Containers,Beds & Borders,Slopes,Groundcover

Special Features:

Flowers,Attractive Foliage,Fragrant,Winter Interest,Tolerates Wet Soil,Deer Resistant,Easy to Grow

Top Varieties

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Japanese spurge

Pachysandra terminalis carries whorls of glossy evergreen leaves and short spikes of fragrant white flowers in spring. Zones 4-8
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Variegated Japanese spurge

Pachysandra terminalis 'Variegata' has slightly more grayish-green leaves than the species; they are frosted with an irregular white rim. The familiar spikes of white flowers bloom in spring. The variegated forms are less aggressive than the species. Zones 4-8
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Plant It With

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Primrose

With colorful flowers and often-textured leaves, primroses make fine companions for clumping Allegheny spurge in light shade where soil is moist.

Cinnamon fern

For height and striking contrast in foliage texture, plant cinnamon fern as an accent plant with spurge in shaded places.

Japanese forestgrass

The golden blades of 'Aureola' Japanese forestgrass are striped with green in perfect contrast to the whorls of glossy evergreen spurge foliage.

Propagation

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Division
Stem Cuttings
Leaf Cuttings