Pachysandra procumbens / Allegheny Spurge

This native woodland groundcover is slower to fill in than its Japanese cousin, but gorgeous when it does, especially for its fall color. It’s described variously as “semi-evergreen” or plain old “not evergreen” which seems to me it’s evergreen in the warmer parts of its range. Farther north its leaves turn color and die in the fall.

Details

• Likes partial to full shade.
• Grows slowly to 1 foot high.
• Native to the Southeastern U.S. from West Virginia south to Louisiana and Florida.
• Hardy in USDA Zones 5-9.
• Deer-resistant.