should I remove the pachysandra?

11 years ago

Hello everyone:)

I've got a yard packed with well-established pachysandra and would eventually like to convert a lot of it to a cottage type garden. I'm starting small in one corner that is maybe 100 sq ft. Still, I've found that digging it up is quite labor intensive (at least for me!) and I was wondering if you more experienced gardeners would recommend making the effort anyway? Or can you plant within the pachysandra and expect something to survive there without getting 'strangled'?

Is there a way to incorporate pachysandra into a cottage garden or should we really look into removing it in those places where we'd like to plant some other things? Eventually we would probably need to hire a landscaper to remove the large patches.

Thanks so much for any suggestions!!

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Comments (5)

anniegolden
11 years ago
I would get rid of it. It's a great landscaping plant, but has no place in a cottage garden. To make it easier to remove, do so after a really heavy rainfall, or a good soaking with the sprinkler. I just got rid of a small bed of it, maybe 15 feet x 7 feet. I found that the only way to really eliminate all of it was to dig, dig and dig some more, and ferret out all those little root bits.

It could be worse. You could be dealing with english ivy!
Christine
appletree729
Original Author
11 years ago
Thank you Christine!

I did decide to get rid of it - got most of it done today - quite therapeutic actually! And it's funny that you mentioned that about the english ivy - I had that exact thought while I was digging, lol. Unfortunately we've got plenty of ivy as well but in other spots. The previous owners of this home really loved their invasive ground cover!!! ;)

On another bright note, this also gave me an opportunity to really analyze my soil there and now I'll be able to amend it with some compost before planting:) So it worked out really well. The only thing is that I'm sure I'll leave at least some of those roots behind - I figure I can either spot kill with round-up or pull by hand if they start to peek through again eventually.
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hosenemesis
11 years ago
Good work! It's funny- we can't keep pachysandra alive here, and so it is an exotic beauty for me. I look forward to seeing your new cottage garden!
Renee
terrene
11 years ago
I used to have a lot of Vinca minor on this lot. The previous owner loved her invasive plants too. I have dug out tons of it, but discovered an easier way is to use cardboard and smother it. First, mow or weed whack the ground cover down as low as possible to weaken it. Then lay down at least double layers of cardboard, making sure to overlap it well. Cover with a couple inches of wood chips, leaves, or mulch and within a couple months, the pachysandra will die off.

This takes longer, but it's so easy. And the worms love the cardboard!
rosiew
11 years ago
Your pachysandra sounds like something for Craigslist. A lot of folks would love to get a big supply. Let them do the work for you. You could offer for sale, but putting it in the FREE category will insure lots of calls. If you do this and get lots of responses, just ask folks to share. HTH, Rosie