Allegheny spurge
Pachysandra procumbens · Buxaceae
The native pachysandra: matt, blue-green leaves mottled with silver, and fragrant, pinkish-white bottle-brush flowers that rise from the ground in early spring.
- Size
- 10 in tall, 18 in wide
- Zones
- 5 to 9
- Light
- Part shade to shade
- Flowers
- Early April to early May
- Pets
- No toxicity recorded
- Job in a bed
- Carpet
A bed built around Allegheny spurge
The planner designed this bed around Allegheny spurge when this page was made: a 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) cottage garden in zone 6, part shade. It chose the other plants from the 513 that suit those conditions, and says below why Allegheny spurge stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Allegheny spurge × 3, white
- 2 Moor grass 'Greenlee' × 8, tan
- 3 Blue-stemmed goldenrod × 3, yellow
- 4 Tall astilbe 'Superba' × 4, purple
- 5 Inkberry 'Gem Box' × 1, dark green leaves
- 6 Hellebore 'Ivory Prince' × 3, cream
- 7 Grecian windflower × 7, blue
- 8 Giant snowdrop × 12, white
Why this plant
- Nothing here is unique to it. Its leaf, flower shape and colour are all on the plan already. Its case rests on where it stands and when it performs.
Why here
- On the front edge. At 10 in it frames the bed without hiding it, and it is in leaf all season. It finishes 27% of the edge.
- 3 plants in one run. An unbroken run of one kind gives the edge a clean line.
Why now
- In flower for five weeks. From early April to early May.
- Part of the bed's peak. With hellebore 'Ivory Prince' and Grecian windflower in early April: 3 kinds at once. No week has more.
Planned as a cottage garden: 22 of the 22 plants (100%), bulbs aside, stand alone or in groups of no more than five, small enough for the kinds to mingle. The back corners are held by inkberry 'Gem Box' and tall astilbe 'Superba', the tallest plants on the plan. Heights step up from about 10 in at the front to 3½ ft at the back.
The planner's own design check: 14 Excellent, 3 Good. It flags one thing to watch: Nothing on this plan is highly poisonous or an aggressive spreader.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where Allegheny spurge goes in a border
At 10 in it belongs at the front of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is low (6 to 12 in).
Its job: carpet. A groundcover planted in threes and fives to cover the soil: along the front, and just behind it.
More beautiful than its Japanese cousin and never invasive, but slow: plant it closely and be patient. The mottling is strongest on the overwintered leaves.
- Native groundcover for shade
- Woodland gardens
- A substitute for Japanese pachysandra
What to plant with Allegheny spurge
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Christmas fern: its dark green leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; tall enough (20 in) to stand behind it.
- Wild ginger: its green leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; bold leaves against its medium ones; a low mound at the foot of its spires.
- Foamflower: in flower together for two weeks, from late April; a low mound at the foot of its spires.
Choosing between it and a look-alike? Japanese pachysandra vs Allegheny spurge.
Questions about Allegheny spurge
Does Allegheny spurge need sun or shade?
Allegheny spurge grows in part shade (2 to 4 hours of sun, mostly in the morning) and shade (less than 2 hours of direct sun, or bright dappled light).
It wants ordinary well-drained soil, rich in organic matter, and a good soak in dry spells. Once settled in, it stands drought.
What zones does Allegheny spurge grow in?
USDA zones 5 to 9. It is hardy to zone 5, which means it survives winter nights down to about −10 °F (−23 °C).
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does Allegheny spurge flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers early April to early May. As a spring flower it moves about a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer, later where it is colder.
| Zone 5 | Early April to early May |
|---|---|
| Zone 6 | Late March to late April |
| Zone 7 | Late March to mid April |
| Zone 8 | Mid March to mid April |
| Zone 9 | Early March to early April |
Worked out from Hopkins' bioclimatic law: spring arrives about four days later for each degree of latitude north, and one zone is roughly two degrees. A warm spring or a cold one moves any garden two weeks either way.
How far apart should Allegheny spurge be planted?
12 in (30 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 18 in (45 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 10 in (25 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many Allegheny spurge plants do I need?
At 12 in apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 12 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 11 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 38 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own
In a mixed border, plant it as threes and fives, along the front and just behind it.
In the bed above, the planner used three in one group.
Is Allegheny spurge poisonous to dogs and cats?
No toxicity is recorded for dogs, cats, horses or people, according to NC State Extension.
"Not toxic" is not "edible": a pet that eats a lot of any plant can be sick.
Do deer eat Allegheny spurge?
They may. NC State does not list it as resistant to deer or rabbits. Where they visit, protect it, or plant it among ones they avoid.
What flowers after Allegheny spurge?
Allegheny spurge is over by early May. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- Foamflower: from late April to late May, 10 in tall (a recorded partner).
- Lily of the valley: from early May to late May, 8 in tall.
- Sweet woodruff: from early May to early June, 8 in tall.
What does Allegheny spurge look like in winter?
Allegheny spurge holds some of its leaves into winter, more in a mild year or a sheltered spot, and they look tired by March. Cut the old ones off as new growth starts.
Is Allegheny spurge good for bees and butterflies?
Allegheny spurge is visited by bees.
It is native to the United States.
More Pachysandra
- Japanese pachysandra Pachysandra terminalis
In these guides
- Plants for dry shade
- Pet-safe plants for shade
- Native perennials for pollinators
- Native plants for shade
- Plants for bees
- Low plants for the front of a border
- Groundcover plants
- Plants with spires: vertical accents
- Plants for a white garden
Every fact on record
- Type
- Perennial (groundcover)
- Size
- 10 in (25 cm) tall, 18 in (45 cm) wide
- Plant
- 12 in (30 cm) apart
- Height class
- Low (6 to 12 in)
- Place in the bed
- Front
- Flowers
- Early April to early May; upright spires; white
- Leaves
- Medium texture, semi-evergreen; green
- Shape
- Mat-forming, spreading
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 5 to 9
- Light
- Part shade, shade
- Soil
- Rich, well-drained
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- Light, in spring
- Family
- Buxaceae
- Comes from
- Southeastern North America
- Attracts
- Bees
- Stands up to
- Drought, heat
Checked against NC State Extension. Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.