Thus says the Lord: “Stand by the roads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls. Jer. 6:16.
I love Japanese pachysandra (Pachysandra terminalis). Period full stop. It is a great edge plant and acts as “natural mulch.” Huzzah for less weeding! It is happy in shade, which we have a lot of, and can take the brunt of both summer and winter. According to the Clemson Cooperative Extension, the plant is known for leaves that are “clustered as whorls at the tips of its stems.” Like love itself, Pachysandra covers many landscaping sins.
But there’s a hitch. Once established, it propels white roots into every inch of contested soil and duplicates itself over and over again. While this is a miraculous thing – and wonderful, too – if you are looking for a verdant ground cover, this green machine is no respecter of boundaries. Nothing short of concrete or asphalt can stop its relentless advance. Our flagstone walkway was half the width it used to be, as pachysandra pressed under and over, stretching luxuriantly over the flat stones. A foot wouldn’t know where to step, that slab was now so obscured with hardy growth.
“Enough,” I muttered, one lazy afternoon. Donning work gloves, I began tearing out perfectly fine stalks, taking hold of roots that could be over a foot long. Yank after yank they came out, and it got ugly. The exposed white roots were like naked stick figures violently detached from the organic circuitry running underfoot. The wheelbarrow filled with plants that easily go for $5 a container at the nursery. I sighed. Truly it is possible to have too much of a good thing.
Thirty minutes of vigor later, the stone walkway reemerges. It is muddied and a little displaced, but at once spacious and inviting. “Here, walk here,” it beckons. “I will lead you to the secret garden.”
Are you still on the good path? Where is it taking you? Is it covered with vines, even good ones? What needs to be yanked out so you can find rest for your soul?
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