Goldenrod

Flower & Garden Magazine, Dec, 1996 by Susan McClure

In Early Autumn the Fields Near My House, as well as the wild perimeter of my yard, become a golden, amethyst-studded tapestry. Three native goldenrods -- Solidago canadensis, S. graminifolia and S. rugosa -- intermingle with sparkles of lavender New England aster (Aster novae-angliae). It is a breathtaking combination that I look forward to seeing every year.

Although I have grown dwarf varieties of golden rods, I prefer to let the taller wild species into my gardens to echo the colors and scale of the surrounding fields. The goldenrods near my northern Ohio property are native to prairies and roadsides from Canada to Texas and Florida. Others come from woodlands, seasides and mountaintops.

Goldenrods vary in height from a couple of inches to 10 feet, in flower color from cream to mustard and lemon to gold, and in season from spring to late fall. They are unquestionably hardy, most surviving winters in Zone 4 or even colder. But it is the often lavish blooms that make goldenrods especially garden-worthy. The flower heads are graceful plume- or spike-shaped clusters of tiny florets, each resembling a miniature daisy or powder puff.

The foliage of most goldenrods is unremarkable. Most leaves are lance-shaped and toothed, though some species bear leaves that are slightly slimmer or rounder. The sturdy stalks arise in a gently spreading vase shape, usually with longer leaves near the base.

In America, goldenrods are gaining repute for their flowering abandon both in perennial borders and in naturalized gardens. Europeans, however, were quicker to accept goldenrods into their gardens. Hybrid varieties have long been prized as garden plants in Europe and popular on the Dutch cut flower market. Our Solidago canadensis was planted in such large numbers in England that it has become a roadside escapee as prevalent as Eurasian Queen Anne's lace and chicory are in America.

Choose the best of the native goldenrods to add to your garden. If you intend to collect seeds or cuttings from wild stands of goldenrod, do so responsibly; make certain you do not deplete local populations. Depletion is seldom a problem, as most goldenrod species grow in great abundance. However, a few are endangered, including 10-inch-high Solidago spithamaea, the Blue Ridge goldenrod native to the treeless mountain summits, and 2-foot-tall, flat-topped S. houghtonii, which grows only in interdunal hollows along the Great Lakes.

I like to walk along a horse trail that passes through the most exquisite goldenrod meadow. It is easy to see variation within a species; some plants are better shaped or earlier to bloom than others, or bloom more extravagantly. When a plant strikes my fancy, I tag it (a piece of yarn or a twist-tie is a suitable marker) to collect the seed later, before the fluffy pappus matures and sends the seed flying.

Goldenrods are not difficult to start from seed. Sow the seed directly where you want it to germinate in fall and it will emerge the next spring growing strongly. Or you can start plants indoors in late winter, under lights or in a sunny window, and set them out after heavy frosts pass. Expect your new goldenrods to bloom in their second year of growth. Because goldenrods tend to hybridize freely, however, your plants may or may not resemble the parent.

To identically replicate a choice specimen, take a cutting of the plant's fleshy rhizomes or the lower portion of a stem. Set the rhizome horizontally just below the surface of the soil, with the small growth buds barely exposed. The more vigorous kinds of goldenrods will establish with little extra care.

Some of the dwarf varieties can be spaced as closely as 12 inches apart. I prefer to give the bigger ones 3 feet of growing room -- a distance they will spread through in no time.

Arguably the most exciting new goldenrod cultivar in decades is Solidago sphacelata 'Golden Fleece.' Its flowering branches cascade in a lacy network over a rosette of scalloped, semi-evergreen leaves.

The original plant was found growing wild at the edge of a North Carolina garden. The garden owner, entranced by the "weed," let it grow and brought it to the attention of Dick Lighty, the director of Mt. Cuba Center for the Study of Piedmont Flora in Delaware. Lighty propagated and evaluated the plant for five years, seeing it thrive in Northern and Southern states, watching it bloom prolifically during heavy drought in full sun with no irrigation. He found the rhizomes stayed 1 to 2 inches long and would not become invasive.

Selected varieties of other species are joining 'Golden Fleece' as goldenrods gain in popularity. Lighty is especially interested in S. caesia, the wreath goldenrod, which tolerates a lot of shade. Niche Gardens, a mail-order nursery, has introduced a selection of S. rugosa in cooperation with the North Carolina Botanical Garden. At 3 to 4 feet, 'Fireworks' is more compact than the species and also more floriferous.

Some of the European hybrid goldenrods have been available for the past 50 years, yet they have not made much of a splash in America. Many are derived from S. canadensis and the European S. virgaurea, a compact early bloomer from sandy banks. I have grown 'Golden Baby,' a 24-inch-high variety, but found it to be stiffly upright without the flowering abandon of its wild neighbors. Furthermore, some of the hybrids are prone to mildew diseases. For more information on other hybrids found in American mail-order catalogs, see the chart "Goldenrods at a Glance" on page 29.