As a ground cover, pachysandra is old hat and I would encourage you to find other ground covers to use, but to plant them in late summer/early fall.

Instead, the hotel is clearly on the ground, horizontal rather than vertical, positioned next to a coral bell, pachysandra, periwinkle and some type of sedge grass.

Remove weeds and debris and replace plants known to provide cover, including English ivy, periwinkle, pachysandra and hosta.

Now, when I hear “avid gardener,” I picture someone weeding the pachysandra beds quietly or deadheading the roses — not operating machinery that requires ear-protecting headsets like people wear at rifle ranges.

Second, they are an alternative to the ubiquitous plantings of old-fashioned or overused ground covers such as liriope, vinca, pachysandra and English ivy.