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Pachysandra Terminalis: Planting and Caring for the Japanese Spurge and Its Cultivars

© Georgene A. Bramlage

Pachysandra terminalis, more commonly called "pachysandra" or Japanese spurge, is probably the most planted groundcover in temperate North America. This short (9-12 inches tall), semi-evergreen plant, introduced to horticulture from Japan circa 1882, is an essential part of many urban landscapes. It is capable of forming dense and solid 6 to 12-inch high carpets of evergreen vegetation.

Benefits of Planting Pachysandra

Japanese pachysandra can:

• Grow and thrive in climates from USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) zones 4 through 9;
  
• Rapidly spread 18 inches in all directions by rhizomes (underground stems) and provide quick cover when planted at four plants per square foot in optimum conditions;
  
• Multiply quickly because roots grow easily along the rhizomes, and cuttings made in summer months root well;
  
• Tolerate part sun but is partial to shade;
  
• Supply a dash of green where winter landscapes are likely to be shades of gold and brown. 
• Hold thin soil on the slopes alongside steps.

Caring for Pachysandra

Pachysandra beds can not be planted and left to fend for themselves. Newly planted pachysandra beds need gentle watering, weeding, and organic mulch such as medium-fine wood chips. Once established, they continue to need care. Beds look their best when:

• Growing conditions duplicate pachysandra's native ecosystems - filtered shade with loose, well-drained acid soils and generous amounts of organic matter. Clay or sandy soils and full sun promote yellow, skimpy looking plants.
• Fertilized with a combination of slow-release fertilizer and high water-insoluble nitrogen (WIN). Work fertilizer under the leaves to bring it close to the soil and prevent possible leaf burn, spotting and runoff.
• Cleaned thoroughly in spring. Gentle raking or using a leaf-blower is essential for removing debris from beds. Litter on beds leads to stem cracks and these breaks promote bacterial and fungal infection.
• Beds are thinned periodically. They thrive in well groomed, thin plots wiht good air circulation.
  
• Problems like leaf and stem spots, root rot and leaf dieback are noticed early on and treated. Euonymus scale insects can also be a problem.
  

Alternate Pachysandra Cultivars

Pachysandra terminalis cultivars come about when certain layers of the leaf mutate or slip and slide over each other producing something unlike the parent plant. This beauty is being watched to see how it grows and has yet to see the inside of a commercial propagating greenhouse. They grow more slowly than their older relatives do, and a little searching might be necessary to find them.

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