I had them growing as a sort of groundcover under a magnolia. Similar sort of dry, rooty soil as under a maple but not as heavy shade. They are just not dense/full enough to overpower most weeds, and being fully herbaceous, there is too much of the year they have no presence at all. If not evergreen, I don't find most groundcovers to be very effective at doing anything other than looking good in their season :-)

Actually, they divide quite well. Most plants that spread rhizomatously do. Easy to just whack off a hunk and plant wherever.

You could try a mix of flowering shade plants. Try White Snake Root, Jacob’s Ladder, perennial ageratum, wild geranium, columbine, Blood Root, Virginia Creeper, etc. Start from seed by winter sowing (Google it). They will battle it out amongst themselves for survival, and create a haven for wildlife. Leave any autumn leaves on the ground. Good luck.

Don't forget Phlox divaricata and P. stolonifera, both of which are somewhat evergreen for me in Z. 7. I also love the native Pachysandra and Hexastylis species. Green and gold does well as a ground cover, and there is a selection that runs. Others not evergreen are in this list: https://ncwildflower.org/recommended-native-species/#groundcovers

Decided to return to GardenWeb after too many years on FB. Nice to see some familiar names after all these years "away."