Our pachysandra creeps all over. But the deer and critters don't eat it. Woodchucks and deer eat my hostas. Two different effects visually.

Many species of pachysandra are invasive...except for the nativePachysandra procumbens. Hosta is generally harmless.

Have you considered bearberry (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi) or wintergreen? Way more expensive and slower growing, but evergreen and native.

I have substantial pachysandra along our driveway in deep and speckeld shade. It is not invasive in the sense that it is suddenly everywhere in a year, but I can guarantee that it will be on your neighbor's side soon. It is a spreader, and spread it will. Right now I'm trying to control mine to stay in the area of its inhabitance from the purchase of our house, and I'm hoping some hostas I planted last fall will eventaully not need help to fight off the pachysandra. As it is, early last summer I plopped lanscape tarp (and some currugated cardboard, as well) with over 6" of mulch over the areas bordering the pachysandra to kill weeds and get ready for the fall hostas. The pachysandra is sending out inquisitive roots underneath the landscape tarp now, and in some areas is poking through. When I plant new hosts or lungwort (why is lungwort impossible to find now?) I spend some good time digging up all the pachysandra runners I find in the soil. Hostas are your best bet. Plant them, let them be, enjoy life.

If somebody tells you how to easily control the spreading of pachysandra, let me know. I thought about trying that plastic roll of edging material, whatever it's called, but it would be very expensive to do in my area without a guarantee that it would work. Lots of linear feet needing boundaries!

On the upside, the pachysandra looks great. Just be sure you plant it in the middle of your own property and not next to your neighbors!