Ornamental · Buxaceae
Japanese Pachysandra
Pachysandra terminalis
Give it deep shade and rich, moist soil, and pachysandra carpets the ground in glossy evergreen for years.
Full shade
Every 7–14 days
USDA 4–9
6–12 in · 15–30 cm
Overview
Japanese pachysandra is the go-to evergreen groundcover for the shady spots where grass gives up. It belongs to the boxwood family and comes from Japan and China, where it spreads along the forest floor by underground runners. In a garden it does the same, knitting into a low, dark green mat under trees and along the north side of a house.
The appeal is how little it asks. It holds its glossy leaves through winter, stays around 6 to 12 inches (15 to 30 cm) tall, and chokes out weeds once it fills in. Small white flower spikes show up in early spring, though most people grow it for the foliage rather than the bloom.
Two things keep it happy: shade and good airflow. Plant it where the sun never bakes it and the leaves can dry quickly after rain, and it more or less takes care of itself. Crowd it in damp, still air and you trade that easy reputation for Volutella blight, the one real headache this plant has.
Care
The short version: part to full shade, in rich, moist, well-drained soil on the acidic side. Water through dry spells, keep beds from getting crowded and stuffy, and clear fallen debris to hold blight at bay.
Light
Pachysandra is a true shade plant that wants part to full shade. Dappled light under trees or the shaded side of a building is ideal, while full sun bleaches and scorches the leaves and weakens the plant.
Water
Keep the soil evenly moist, watering roughly every 7 to 14 days when rain is short, though established beds shrug off dry shade. Water at the base with drip rather than overhead, since wet foliage feeds Volutella blight.
Soil
Give it rich, moist, well-drained soil that runs slightly acidic, ideally a pH of 5.5 to 6.5. Loam or clay both work as long as the ground drains, since soggy soil rots the roots.
Temperature
This is a tough, cold-hardy plant that takes the weather from about -29°F to 95°F (-34°C to 35°C). It rides out hard winters in the ground, though drying winter wind can scorch exposed leaves.
Humidity
Ordinary outdoor humidity suits it fine, so there's no number to hit. Airflow matters far more than moisture in the air, because crowded, still beds are where leaf blight takes hold.
Feeding
Pachysandra rarely needs feeding. A light balanced fertilizer in spring is plenty, and going heavier only invites disease by pushing soft, crowded growth.
Pruning
Upkeep is minimal. Thin or mow crowded beds to open up the airflow, pull out any diseased or scorched foliage, and rake away fallen leaves so spores have nowhere to overwinter.
Repotting
This is a groundcover, not a pot plant, so it's seldom containerized or repotted. Once it's planted in the ground, it stays put and spreads on its own by runners.
Size & spacing
Plants stay low at 6 to 12 inches (15 to 30 cm) tall and spread 12 to 18 inches (30 to 45 cm) each. Set new divisions 6 to 12 inches apart and they'll close the gaps over a few seasons.
When to plant
Pachysandra is a hardy perennial that settles in slowly. Plant it in spring or early fall while the soil is cool and damp, watch for its short white flower spikes in early spring, and give the bed about three years to close into a full groundcover.
Northern hemisphere
Southern hemisphere
Typical months for a temperate climate: start earlier in warm zones, later where spring frosts linger.
- Plant: spring or early fall
- Harvest: early to mid spring (April)
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zones: 4–9
Temperature: down to -34°C
Troubleshooting
Most pachysandra trouble shows up in the leaves, either as bleaching in too much sun or as the spotting and dieback of disease. Read the early signs and you can step in before a patch spreads through the bed. Match what you see below, then act while it still helps.
Ringed blotches, blackened stems, and dying patches
This is Volutella leaf and stem blight, the most serious problem the plant faces, and it spreads fastest in crowded, damp beds. Look for tan spots ringed like a target, stems turning brown to black, and salmon-pink spore masses in wet weather. Cut out the infected growth when it's dry, thin the planting for airflow, keep scale in check, and water at the base rather than overhead.
Fix:
- Cut out and dispose of infected leaves and stems when dry
- Thin crowded plantings to improve air circulation
- Control scale insects
- Avoid overhead watering; use drip irrigation
- Apply fungicide during wet weather if severe
Wilting and soft black stems in soggy ground
Root and stem rot sets in where the soil stays waterlogged, leaving the roots and stem bases soft and dark. The damage clusters in low, soggy spots. Improve the drainage, ease off the watering, and pull out any plants that have already collapsed.
Fix:
- Improve drainage
- Reduce watering and avoid waterlogged sites
- Remove and discard affected plants
Speckled leaves with white waxy bumps on the stems
Those white or brown crusts on the stems and leaf undersides are euonymus scale, while fine stippling and webbing point to spider mites. Both drain the plant and leave it looking dull and off-color. Prune out the worst-hit stems, treat scale with horticultural oil, and stay on top of it, since scale also opens the door to Volutella blight.
Fix:
- Prune out heavily infested stems
- Apply horticultural oil for scale
- Manage mites with appropriate miticide or oil
Leaves bleaching pale or scorching brown
Pachysandra is a shade plant, and too much sun is the usual reason its glossy green fades to a washed-out yellow or crisps at the edges. Drying wind and winter exposure do the same. Move struggling plants into part or full shade, keep the soil moist and rich, and they color back up.
Fix:
- Transplant to part or full shade
- Provide a moist, organically rich site
- Water during drought and avoid hot, exposed locations
Toxicity
Pachysandra is a safe choice around pets, livestock, and children. It isn't on the ASPCA toxic list, and while a mouthful of leaves might leave a curious cat or dog with a brief upset stomach, nothing serious comes of it. You can plant it freely in a yard that animals and kids share.
Safe for
People · Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds
Cats None
Cats are safe around pachysandra. A curious nibble might bring a little drool or a mild stomach upset, but nothing serious follows.
Dogs None
Dogs can share the garden without worry. The leaves aren't on the ASPCA toxic list, and at most a mouthful leaves a dog with a brief queasy stomach.
Horses None
Horses are fine near this groundcover. It carries no toxin known to harm them, and they tend to leave the low, glossy foliage alone anyway.
Rabbits None
Rabbits face no real danger here. Wild and pet rabbits browse around pachysandra without ill effect, though it's not a plant they seek out.
Livestock None
Cattle, goats, and sheep can graze nearby safely. The plant holds nothing that troubles a grazing animal in the amounts they might taste.
Birds None
Birds are in no danger from pachysandra. Many use the dense mat for cover and foraging without any harm from the leaves or stems.
People None
People have nothing to fear from this groundcover. It isn't eaten and isn't poisonous, so it makes a worry-free planting around children.
Discourage pets from chewing the foliage; not listed among ASPCA toxic plants but the alkaloid-containing leaves can irritate.
Helpline numbers
United States
ASPCA Animal Poison Control: (888) 426-4435 (fee applies)
United Kingdom
Animal PoisonLine: 01202 509000 (fee applies)
Australia
Animal Poisons Helpline: 1300 869 738
Varieties
A few named selections turn up alongside the common species. These are the ones worth knowing when you shop.
Green Carpet
A compact, lower-growing selection prized for its dark, glossy green leaves.
Variegata (Silveredge)
Its leaves carry white margins, and it grows slower and less vigorously than the plain green type.
Pachysandra procumbens (Allegheny spurge)
A native, clumping alternative with matte blue-green leaves mottled purple and white that spreads far less aggressively than P. terminalis.
How to propagate
Pachysandra is easy to multiply from plants you already have, and gardeners almost always go that route rather than starting from seed.
DivisionEasy
Spring or early fall · About three years to fill in as a groundcover
Division is the usual way to spread pachysandra. Lift established clumps or rooted runners in spring or early fall and set the new pieces 6 to 12 inches apart, then give them about three years to knit into a solid groundcover.
Stem cuttingsEasy
Late spring to summer · Several weeks to root
Tip cuttings taken from late spring through summer root easily in a moist medium, striking in a few weeks. It's a quick way to bulk up a planting from growth you already have.
SeedModerate
Spring · Slow and seldom used
Seed in spring is possible but slow and rarely bothered with. Almost every planting is raised from divisions or cuttings instead, which come true and establish far faster.
Myths
Pachysandra grows well in full sun.
It is a shade groundcover through and through. In full sun and high wind the foliage yellows, bleaches, and scorches, and that sun stress also invites Volutella blight. Grow it in part to full shade for the deep green look it's planted for.