Question
Hi - In an older post about pachysandra you said:

"Thick, heavy mulches should be avoided since they hold moisture. It is also
important to remove any leaf or plant debris from the bed before growth
resumes in early spring."

I have tried to revive my pachysandra after a very long drought with a few
inches of compost and pine fines. Is it OK to lay this thick throughout the
reviving pachysandra. It holds moisture really well so I wasn't sure if it will
keep the plants too wet. Thanks for your help.

Answer
Your ailing Pachysandra needs TLC to get it through this difficult time.  Any Fungus in the area would be only too happy to thwart your Pachysandra's recovery.  Fungus needs moisture and benefits from reduced air circulation (which keeps the spores from being blown away, making it easier to get roots into the next victim).  A THIN mulch in my opinion is needed here, with regular (at least daily) inspections to make sure the Pachysandra is still moist, in my opinion.

It is not the moisture that's awful.  It's the Fungus.  Making them happy is something to be avoided, especially since the health of this patch is already so badly compromised.  A dressing of Compost -- REAL compost, that is, or in its place, REAL Compost Tea -- would contain microbes to halt any invading Fungi spores; that would be quite beneficial, and you can see why.