I am convinced that the reason more gardeners don’t use the native groundcover Chrysogonum virginianum is because the name is hard to spell and pronounce. Maybe that explains why it is hard to find in nurseries. The common name, Green and Gold, is a description as well as a common plant name. The evergreen leaves are topped with yellow five-petal flowers. Phonetically, the Latin name is kry-SOG-uh-num ver-jin-ee-AY-num. Practice it a couple of time and you will find that it rolls off the tongue easier than the common name.
Chrysogonum is native to the eastern half of the US. It is hardy in zones 5-9. It grows in partial shade to full shade. It spreads by above-ground rhizomes that will eventually form a dense mat only a few inches tall. According to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Texas, plants grow taller in northern areas (8-10 inches) and are shorter in southern areas (2-6 inches). The stems are fuzzy. Plants bloom profusely for months in the spring, take a flowering break in the hottest part of the summer, and then rebloom less abundantly in the fall. The long flowering period and the ease of restricting its spread gives Chrysogonum an advantage over a groundcover like Ajuga.
Chrysogonum’s yellow flowers are attractive to pollinators and the evergreen leaves are not damaged by deer. They want acidic soil and will be prettiest if they receive additional irrigation during hot, dry periods. Removing spent flowers will result in more flowering, but this is a tedious process and can be ignored without much impact.
Chrysogonum (Green and Gold) as a groundcover in shady woodlands