Spring Blooming Ground Cover: Green and Gold (Chrysogonum virginianum)

We are rennovating here in Atlanta including elimination of our existing 1980s deck and expansion of an exsisting patio to create a more fitting outdoor room for our 1930s bungalow home. As one change inevitably leads to another, I’m been moving plants that are in the way and planning revisions to the gardens that will surround the patio.

One of the plants I’m relocating is a large patch of Green and gold – one of the few native groundcovers we have that works in shade. The first thing that struck me about the plant was how fast it spreads.

When I purchased this plant in spring 2005 it was growing in a one gallon pot. Just two years later it had spread to fill a space nearly five foot by five. In looking at species account online, I find that many sources list the spread as infinite. That’s a great investment if you have a large area to fill quickly.

The Details
Appearance – Green and Gold is a semi-evergreen plant (more so in the warmer portion of it’s range) with hairy leaves and many five petaled yellow flowers rising above the foliage. A Northern variety is a much taller upright specimen than the prostate creeper found here in the south, which usually tops out at three to six inches.
Bloom time – beginning in late March through the fall – more sporadically in the heat of summer.
How it grows – individual plants spread from above ground runners and division is the easiest method of propagation. In fact, division every couple of years is quite beneficial to the plant.
Preferred environment – the most important criteria is well drained soil with filtered shade or morning only sun. Deep shade will result in minimal blooms and full sun will require substantial irrigation. Zones 5-9
Native Range – found throughout most of the Eastern United States, but endangered in Kentucky and Pennsylvania and threatened Tennessee and Ohio
Derivation of name – a member of the aster family, the name for Chrysogonum is derived from the Greek chrys meaning gold and gon meaning offspring. It is also sometimes known as Goldenstar.

The Nursery
Because this project is happening in stages, many of the plants I’m moving can’t be transplanted to their new locations until after the new patio is built. I’ve created both a sun and a shade nursery to carry them over until they can go back into the ground. Friends and family are also going to benefit from the overflow.

So far, I’ve only dug up about 1/3 of the Green and gold, and I already have 11 gallon pots and two full flats of a four inch pots. Likewise with Small Sundrops Oenothera perennis. I have a couple dozen pots of this great sun perennial from the evening primrose family.