American ginseng is a native perennial of the temperate hardwood forests of eastern North America, found in North Carolina's Piedmont and mountain regions in the rich, deep soils of mature woodland. The flowers are small and non-showy — modest umbrels that most visitors to the garden would overlook entirely. What follows them is more conspicuous: clusters of bright red berries that attract songbirds and signal the plant's location to anyone who knows what to look for.

In its natural habitat it spreads slowly from seed, growing 8 to 24 inches tall in the dappled shade beneath canopy trees. Overharvesting for the herbal medicine trade has made it strictly regulated in many states, and populations in the wild have declined sharply. In the garden it belongs in a woodland setting or herb garden in fertile, well-drained soil with part to full shade, where it can establish without disturbance. It is not a fast plant or a dramatic one, but tending it carries a different kind of satisfaction.