As a gardener and a landscape designer, I deal with tons of pachysandra. And for good reason! It is a hardy survivor that thrives in part to heavy shade, dry to wet soil and everywhere in between. It is rabbit, deer, drought and clay tolerant meaning none of those things will kill or eat it. It’s also evergreen and an extremely low maintenance groundcover. Plus it will grow and be happy in all of areas around your house or under trees that has made you question your green thumb abilities.
Bed of Pachysandra in front of my house
Yet, no one really likes it. Or at least, that’s the impression I get. Nearly everyone I work with who has a full bed of pachysandra wants me to help them get rid of it including my wife. Over the last week, I’ve spent every morning before work slowly eradicating a bed of pachysandra to make way for new plants.
There are essentially five species of pachysandra…but only one is native to North America. The native species, Pachysandra procumbens, only grows in the southeast of the United States. So first thing to know is if you live in North Jersey and you have pachysandra in your yard, it’s most likely have Pachysandra terminalis, a highly aggressive, fast growing, exotic invasive originating from China and Japan. This is the species most garden centers sell.
There are essentially five species of pachysandra…but only one is native to North America. The native species, Pachysandra procumbens, only grows in the southeast of the United States. So first thing to know is if you live in North Jersey and you have pachysandra in your yard, it’s most likely have Pachysandra terminalis, a highly aggressive, fast growing, exotic invasive originating from China and Japan. This is the species most garden centers sell.
One small pile of pulled pachysandra in two garbages full of pulled pachysandra
The nice thing about terminalis is that it can be hand pulled, though it is not an easy job. It takes lots of time and effort. After a week of pulling it from the bed I’m redoing, I have about two garbage bags full…and it’s not all gone. The way the root system grows really ties up the topsoil. Roots can dominate 3 to 4 inches of the area of the topsoil. They crisscross every which way and are just a pain to get out of the dirt. As I pull it, I also know that this will not be the end of pachysandra in my bed. I have succumbed to the reality that I’ll be revisiting this exercise for years to come. I do plan to put down landscape fabric (weed mat) and mulch to help kill whatever remains hidden in the soil, but this is more hope than absolute.
The hope is to get it all in one effort, the reality is that it will take time to get rid of it.
There is a less hands-on approach to getting rid of the stuff. You can cover the bed with black plastic for one to two years. The black plastic is to terminalis what the asteroid was to the dinosaurs…it will cut off all the sun from the plant and cause a mini, localize extinction event. In 24 months, you will be pachysandra-free, but you have to wait two years to use the space. This option is only for the patient, and those exterminating it in less-public-locations-like-in-their-backyard.
Both of these methods (by man or by plastic) are better than using herbicides to kill it…something I do not recommend.
Best thing to do is never plant it. Then you don’t have to remove it once it starts taking over your yard. If you want a groundcover for your more shady parts, I’d recommend a phlox, lowbush blueberry, lungwart, woodland asters or even Joe Pye Weed (thought JPW is a tall plant, not groundcover).
Both of these methods (by man or by plastic) are better than using herbicides to kill it…something I do not recommend.
Best thing to do is never plant it. Then you don’t have to remove it once it starts taking over your yard. If you want a groundcover for your more shady parts, I’d recommend a phlox, lowbush blueberry, lungwart, woodland asters or even Joe Pye Weed (thought JPW is a tall plant, not groundcover).
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