Trachystemon orientalis 'Sundew'

Trachystemon orientalis 'Sundew' is a 2018 Plant Delights Nursery introduction...a stunning gold-leaved selection of the Black Sea comfrey. Our original chartreuse seedling of the edible Black Sea native appeared in our garden around 2000, but after evaluations, we felt we could eventually find a brighter gold selection, which we finally did in 2012. The 8" long, rough-textured leaves emerge brilliant gold in spring, forming a groundcover, topped in February/March (NC) with 10" spikes of blue dodecatheon-like flowers. In climates with cool summers, the foliage color remains bright, but in hot summers, the foliage color changes to chartreuse green. Moist soils are best, but trachystemon is quite drought tolerant. You can expect a 10" tall x 4' wide patch in five to ten years, depending on soil moisture.