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How to Plant Pachysandra

By: Melissa Lewis

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21 September, 2017

Pachysandra, also known as Japanese Spurge, is a perennial evergreen plant that is usually grown as a ground cover. It is often used for erosion control on slopes and reaches about 10 inches tall and wide. Tiny white flowers bloom for a couple weeks in late March. Pachysandra can withstand a little sun; however too much sun can kill it, so it’s best to choose the shadiest area as possible to plant your pachysandra.

Weed the planting area. Use your hands to pull at the bottom of the weeds to get the roots. You can also use a three-prong weeding tool that you dig into the soil under the weed and pull up. It’s easiest to weed when the soil is slightly moist, like the day after a rain shower.

Pachysandra, also known as Japanese Spurge, is a perennial evergreen plant that is usually grown as a ground cover.
It’s easiest to weed when the soil is slightly moist, like the day after a rain shower.

Rake the top 12 inches of your soil and mix in a couple inches of compost or peat moss which make the soil more conducive to water drainage. While pachysandra can tolerate most soil types, it does prefer well-draining soil.

Dig holes that are twice as wide and just as deep as the pachysandra’s current container. Space multiple pachysandras 6 to 12 inches apart.

Take the plant out of the container and set it in the hole. Backfill the soil and pack the soil until it is firm. Water well.

Rake the top 12 inches of your soil and mix in a couple inches of compost or peat moss which make the soil more conducive to water drainage.

Mulch in between the plants so weeds do not grow again. Use mulch, such as pine needles or bark mulch. After the pachysandra fill in the area, you do not need to add any more mulch.

Replant Pachysandra

Spread a 3-inch layer of compost over the planting site with a rake. Dig down to 8 inches and push the tool's blade underneath the root ball to remove it from the ground. Brush off extra dirt clinging to the roots. Pull or cut apart the plant with the shovel's blade to divide it into more manageable clumps, if needed. Cut off any broken, dead or mushy roots with a pair of pruning shears. Spread the plant's bottom roots outward gently. Place the plant in the center of the hole. Tamp the soil down carefully around the roots. Fill the remainder of the hole with soil, tamping it down as before. Spread a 1-inch-deep layer of mulch over the planting site, keeping it from touching the plant's stems. Water the pachysandra again when the top 1 to 2 inches of soil becomes dry. Do not allow the soil to become soggy.

Mulch in between the plants so weeds do not grow again.
Dig down to 8 inches and push the tool's blade underneath the root ball to remove it from the ground.