Wisconsin Native Goldenrod
Goldenrod natives, genus Solidago, have much to recommend them:
Deer resistant
Magnificent for cut flowers
Easy to grow
Attracts bees and butterflies
Blooms in the late fall when most everything else has faded
Generally speaking, goldenrods are tough perennial plants that are tall and slim with fluffy golden
flower spikes. Goldenrod tends to be aggressive so you want to think carefully about where you place
these plants in your garden. If that is a concern, you may want to try ZigZag Goldenrod, a woodland
species that doesn't spread and crowd out other plants like the tall varieties.
If you have late summer allergies, it’s NOT the goldenrod. The much plainer ragweed sends
buckets of pollen into the air. Goldenrod pollen is much too heavy to be airborne.
Goldenrods are a tremendous resource for a wide diversity of insects, including both specialist and
generalist bees. Goldenrod is a major resource for honey bees, both nectar and pollen.
Dozens of other
bee species also visit goldenrod, including bumble bees, long-horned bees, sweat bees, and many of the
digger bees active in the fall. There are 11 species of solitary bees that are goldenrod specialists in Wisconsin.
Goldenrods make great plants to attract butterflies to your garden or backyard habitat. The numerous small
flowers of goldenrods are filled with nectar. Those many small flowers are filled with pollen, too. This means
the flowers attract a wide variety of pollinators including nectar-sipping butterflies.
Goldenrods are among the most important late-season pollinator plants. Honey bees frequently collect large
amounts of goldenrod nectar prior to winter. Many beekeepers depend on goldenrod as their colonies’
primary winter food source and often report honey gains of 50 to 80 pounds per colony. Goldenrod honey
is typically dark, thick and somewhat pungent in aroma.
Light: Goldenrod craves full sun for optimal flowering. The plant will tolerate a bit of shade,
though this can minimize its blooms.
Soil: Goldenrod is not overly picky about its soil, as long as there is good drainage. It can
even tolerate sandy, rocky, and clay soils. Soil that is very rich can cause the plant to get leggy and
potentially flop over.
Water: Water new goldenrod plants weekly to maintain moderately moist (but not soggy) soil.
Mature goldenrod plants have good drought tolerance and rarely need supplemental watering unless you
have a long stretch without rainfall.
Temperature and Humidity: Goldenrod thrives in the various temperatures throughout its
growing zones, and it does not have specific humidity requirements. Frost will cause the plant to die back
into the ground for the winter.
Fertilizer: Unless you have very poor soil, fertilization is normally not necessary
Goldenrod is not widely available as seedlings due to its aggressive nature, but growing the plant from seed is
easy. After the danger of frost has passed spread the seed onto moist garden soil, taking care only to cover
areas where you want goldenrod to sprout. Keep the soil evenly moist until sprouts appear, and then let the
area dry out in between watering.
You also can start seeds indoors roughly 6 to 8 weeks before your last projected frost date and transplant the
seedlings outdoors once the weather has warmed.
Native Goldenrod Species
Anise Scented Goldenrod
Height: 1-2 feet
Bloom: Late Summer/Fall
Sun: Full Sun, Part Sun
Zones: 4-9
Soil: Loam, Sand
Moisture: Dry, Medium
Color: Yellow
Blue-Stemmed Goldenrod
Height: 2-3 feet
Bloom: Late Summer/Fall
Sun: Full Sun,Part Sun
Zones: 3-8
Soil : Loam, Clay, Sand
Moisture: Dry,Medium
Color: Yellow
Canadian Goldenrod
Height: 4-5 feet
Bloom: Late Summer/Fall
Sun: Full Sun
Zones: 3-9
Soil: Loam
Moisture: Dry
Color: Yellow
Cliff Goldenrod
Height: 1½-3 feet
Bloom: Late Summer/Fall
Sun: Full Sun
Zones: 5-8
Soil: Loam
Moisture: Dry,Medium
Color: Yellow
Early Goldenrod
Height: 3-7 feet
Bloom: Late Summer/Fall
Sun: Full Sun
Zones: 3-8
Soil: Loam
Moisture: Med, Moist,Wet
Color: Yellow
Ohio Goldenrod
Height: 3-4 feet
Bloom: Late Summer/Fall
Sun: Full Sun
Zones: 4-6
Soil: Clay,Loam,Sand
Moisture: Medium,Moist
Color: Yellow
Old Field Goldenrod
Height: 6-24 Inches
Bloom: Late Summer/Fall
Sun: Full Sun
Zones: 2-9
Soil: Loam, Sand,Rocky
Moisture: Dry, Medium
Color: Yellow
Riddells Goldenrod
Height: 2-3 feet
Bloom: Late Summer/Fall
Sun: Full Sun
Zones: 3-7
Soil : Loam, Clay
Moisture: Moist,Wet
Color: Yellow
Showy Goldenrod
Height: 1-3 feet
Bloom: Late Summer/Fall
Sun: Full Sun
Zones: 3-8
Soil: Loam,Sand
Moisture: Dry,Medium
Color: Yellow
Stiff Goldenrod
Height: 3-5 feet
Bloom: Late Summer/Fall
Sun: Full Sun
Zones: 3-9
Soil: Loam, Clay,Sand
Moisture: Dry,Medium
Color: Yellow
Swamp Goldenrod
Height: 5 feet
Bloom: Late Summer/Fall
Sun: Full Sun
Zones: 3-8
Soil: Clay,Sand,Loam
Moisture: Moist,Wet
Color: Yellow
Zigzag Goldenrod
Height: 2-4 feet
Bloom: Late Summer/Fall
Sun: Full Sun,Part Sun
Zones: 3-8
Soil: Loam,Sand
Moisture: Dry,Medium
Color: Yellow
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