Is Allegheny Spurge deer resistant?
Pachysandra procumbens

Plant typeGroundcoverHardinessZones 5–9LightFull shade to part shadeMature height6–12 inBloomSpring
MaintenanceLow, mostly leave it alone
Native range13 US states
About Allegheny Spurge
The native alternative to Japanese pachysandra. Mottled semi-evergreen leaves, and it clumps rather than running, so it will not escape into woodland the way its Asian cousin does.
Soil and care
- Soil pH
- 5 to 6.5
- Drainage
- Consistently moist
- Water
- Moderate
- Spacing
- 12 to 18 in apart
- Growth rate
- Slow
- Maintenance
- Low
Similar to Allegheny Spurge
Other groundcovers with the same deer rating.
- BarrenwortEpimedium sp.Zones 4–8, genus rangeRarely damaged
- BearberryArctostaphylos uva-ursiZones 3–7Rarely damaged
- Bishop's WeedAegopodium podagrariaZones 3–10Rarely damaged
- BugleweedAjuga reptansZones 3–10Rarely damaged
- Lily of the ValleyConvallaria majalisZones 3–7Rarely damaged
- PachysandraPachysandra terminalisZones 4–9Rarely damaged
Where Allegheny Spurge grows
Hardy across 50 states on zone range alone, and native to 13 of them. Mountain and coastal areas sit outside the ranges used here, so check your own zone before ordering. Select any state, including one it will not grow in, for what is resistant there.
Choose a state from the listeasier on a phone
- Pennsylvania
- New Jersey
- New York
- Connecticut
- Massachusetts
- Virginia
- Maryland
- Michigan
- Wisconsin
- Ohio
- Indiana
- Illinois
- Minnesota
- Missouri
- North Carolina
- Tennessee
- Georgia
- Texas
- Colorado
- California
- Oregon
- Washington
- New Hampshire
- Vermont
- Maine
- Rhode Island
- Delaware
- West Virginia
- Kentucky
- South Carolina
- Florida
- Alabama
- Mississippi
- Louisiana
- Arkansas
- Oklahoma
- Kansas
- Nebraska
- Iowa
- North Dakota
- South Dakota
- Montana
- Wyoming
- Idaho
- Utah
- Nevada
- Arizona
- New Mexico
- Alaska
- District of Columbia
- Hawaii
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Every list Allegheny Spurge belongs to.
Hardy in these zones
Common questions about Allegheny Spurge
- Is Allegheny Spurge deer resistant?
- Allegheny Spurge (Pachysandra procumbens) is rated Rarely Damaged on the Rutgers NJAES four-tier scale. Deer almost always leave this alone.
- What hardiness zones does Allegheny Spurge grow in?
- Allegheny Spurge is hardy in USDA zones 5 to 9. Outside that range it will either not survive winter or will struggle with summer heat.
- Does Allegheny Spurge grow in shade?
- Yes. Allegheny Spurge tolerates full shade to part shade, which makes it one of the options for a shaded bed where deer also browse.
- How big does Allegheny Spurge get?
- Mature height is roughly 6–12 in. Growth rate is slow.