Goldenrod Is Garden Gold
For too long, goldenrods were overlooked by American gardeners due to the mistaken belief that they were a cause of fall hay fever. Fortunately, those in the know now understand that the real culprit is more likely the air-carried pollen of ragweeds (Ambrosia spp.), which bloom around the same time but have barely noticeable greenish flowers. Goldenrods, with their showier blooms, often got the blame, but their pollen is heavier and stickier, designed to be carried not by the wind but by insects.
Goldenrod is a key plant for pollinators
And oh, the insects are happy to do just that! The multitude of tiny but tightly packed flowers is an all-you-can-eat buffet of pollen and nectar for a wide variety of bees, flies and beetles, which means that birds then feast on the frenzy of insect activity. Goldenrods are a must-have for butterfly gardens as well, feeding adult butterflies with their flowers and serving as host plants for their larvae.
But they’re more than just useful: Gorgeous goldenrods also contribute bright color and beautiful flower forms to the garden and provide ample opportunities for dramatic late-season combinations. They’re terrific to cut for bouquets, too!
A goldenrod for every garden
As more gardeners are catching on to the charms of these valuable and versatile perennials, commercial growers are starting to make more goldenrods available, but you’re still likely to find the best selection at nurseries that specialize in native plants. There’s a species for just about any site — wet or dry, sun or shade — so there’s no excuse for not growing at least one goldenrod in your garden. And don’t be put off by the reputation that a few goldenrods have for being aggressive spreaders, because there are plenty that are restrained enough to be basically trouble-free.
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Autumn goldenrod Solidago sphacelata
- Light: Full sun to part shade
- Soil: Average, well-drained
- Size: 3 to 4 ft. tall and wide
- Hardiness: Cold hardy in USDA zones 4 to 9
For decades, autumn goldenrod has been best known through the superb 18- to 24-inch-tall selection ‘Golden Fleece’, a compact cultivar that still works beautifully as a flower-filled ground cover or edging plant for late-summer and early-fall interest. The straight species is harder to find but has recently been getting attention too, due to its pollinator-attracting power. It’s typically twice as tall as ‘Golden Fleece’, with thinner, arching flower clusters at the tips of its slender stems. Its overall finer texture is graceful enough to work well in a border but also natural enough to look right at home in a mini-meadow or naturalistic planting.
Keeping goldenrod in check
Both the species and ‘Golden Fleece’ can spread, but they tend to be polite about it instead of problematic: Just pull out some of the shoots around the edges if they’re creeping beyond where you want them. They look fantastic when paired with blue and purple companions, such as aromatic aster and ‘Iron Butterfly’ narrowleaf ironweed.
Blue-stemmed goldenrod Solidago caesia
- Light: Full sun to part shade
- Soil: Moist to dry, well-drained
- Size: 2 to 3 ft. tall, 1 to 2 ft. wide
- Hardiness: Cold hardy in USDA zones 4 to 8
Also known as wreath goldenrod, blue-stemmed goldenrod is easy to please and sure to please in return. This species is naturally best suited to partial shade but can grow just about anywhere, and its clump-forming habit means there’s no need to worry about it creeping out of control, though it can self-sow.
The tiny but abundant flowers are packed into short clusters that bloom along the upper side of its slender, arching stems, mostly in early to mid-fall, the time when it can be most challenging to find late-season flowers for woodland gardens and shady pollinator plantings. Charming companions for blue-stemmed goldenrod include white wood aster (Eurybia divaricata) and blue wood aster (Symphyotrichum cordifolium), along with well-behaved ferns and sedges, such as Christmas fern (Polystichum acrostichoides) and blue wood sedge (Carex flaccosperma).
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Zigzag goldenrod Solidago flexicaulis
- Light: Full sun to part shade
- Soil: Average to moist, well-drained
- Size: 1 to 3 ft. tall, 2 to 3 ft. wide
- Hardiness: Cold hardy in USDA zones 3 to 8
This woodland species is a quiet presence in the garden until it bursts into bloom, mainly in late summer and early fall. The upper part of each wavy stem is lined with tufts of bright yellow flowers, which show off beautifully against the relatively broad, toothed leaves. Zigzag goldenrod is tough and adaptable, thriving in partial shade and somewhat moist soil but tolerating anything from sun to shade — even dry shade!
Keep in mind that this one is generally a moderate spreader, so it’s best in a good-sized garden, under trees or large shrubs or on a shady slope where you’re having trouble getting other perennials to grow. Consider pairing it with equally sturdy companions, such as Canada wild ginger (Asarum canadense) and northern sea oats (Chasmanthium latifolium) for a terrific textural contrast, and with blue mistflower (Conoclinium coelestinum) as a bloom buddy.
Read our complete Goldenrod Growing Guide in the Fall issue of Garden Gate magazine! Get your copy here.
Goldenrod plant sources
- Prairie Moon Nursery; prairiemoon.com; 866-417-8156
- High Country Gardens; highcountrygardens.com; 801-769-0300
