I have read it grows best in the piedmont and in Georgia north of the city where the shade remains much cooler. It needs a cool root run. It's a great plant, and they had them for sale in NC when I went to a native plant sale there.

GGG

If it needs cool roots, I might have the place for it. I think I'll give it a try. I'm north of the city. Funny, but this desire for a new plant comes ONE DAY after I decided that I don't need more plants - I have all I want and from now on can settle into maintenance. Desire is such a sneaky thing. Now I want to put in a fall bed with gillenia and sweetshrub and asters. I need to have my head examined.

I think that it is certainly worth a try for you.

GGG

The gillenia or the head examination?

Possibly both.
Let me know where you get a good head examination. I could use one myself, lol :)

GGG

Taxonomists have changed the name to Porteranthus, but you'll often still find it listed under Gillenia. Common name is Bowman's Root, BTW. Actually, there's a close relative that's native to and does better in the South (it grows on dryish wooded slopes here in TN) called Indian Physic, P. stipulatus. It has the same habit and bloom appearance as P. trifoliatus, but has little baby leaves (stipules) where each leaf joins the stem. Bloom time for both species is early summer, though, not all summer and fall. Both plants are wonderful grouped in masses in deciduous shade.