Goldenrod — is it a dope ? Or is it a beloved wild flower ? Depending on who you babble out to , perhaps it ’s both . This native North American plant grow in one bod or another in every state in the conterminous United States and in Alaska . In fact , it ’s so common that it ’s apprehensible why many people think of it strictly as a weed . But what a weed ! Goldenrod is an crucial author of nectar and pollen for pollinators of all kinds as well as shelter for the larvae of beneficial insects . This bee and butterfly stroke magnet tolerates two of our part ’s horticulture challenges — deer and clay ground .
Here , in this part of Virginia , the Albemarle County Native Plant Database lists seven variety of goldenrod that are aboriginal to this area . These are only a few of the just about 38 varieties that are native to Virginia . depend on the variety , they start appearing in the landscape as betimes as July and rosiness until November . They ’re hard to overleap . Most varieties of goldenrod range in altitude and width from three to four feet on intermediate . While Rough - Stemmed Goldenrod is evenhandedly lilliputian at 2 foot in height , its relative , Sweet Goldenrod , can extend to 5 feet . Taller yet , Canada Goldenrod can reach 6 ft in summit while the tall of the caboodle , Giant Goldenrod , can wax to 8.2 foot in height , fit in to the United States Department of Agriculture plant database . For an idea of just how grandiloquent this flora is , check out the accompanying photo of Piedmont Master Gardener Dorothy Tompkins standing next to a cluster of it in her garden .
Commonly seen growing in domain and along country roads , this wild bloom has long been ignored by serious gardeners until recent years . With the introduction of intercrossed forms of the plant , which are lowly and better behaved , Goldenrod often appears in home gardens as well as in public botanical gardens . A phallus of theSolidagogenus ( enounce lone - ih - twenty-four hour period - go ) , goldenrod is usually used in European gardens more so than in North American gardens . As Allan M. Armitage points out in hisHerbaceous Perennial Plants , A Treatise on their Identification , Culture , and Garden Attributes ( Third Edition ) , Europeans develop goldenrod hybrid for the commercial-grade cut of meat blossom market using North American indigen as parent . However , as American gardeners become more interested in native planting , goldenrod is now viewed less as a sens and more as a angry bloom worthy of retainer in the cosmetic garden . Of the more than 100 species of goldenrod within theSolidagogenus , most of the commonly grown single have feathery , fork clusters of brilliant white-livered flowers which dance in the breeze and tote up motility to the landscape .
Many garden plaza in the mid - Atlantic offerSolidago rugosa‘Fireworks ’ as a basic of the fall perennial deal . ‘ pyrotechnic ’ feature generous plumes of minuscule , vivid yellow flowers that farm in dull panicle at the destruction of stiff alternate - leave stem . It blooms from September to October in full sun and wander in height from 36 to 42 inches . While it does well in average , well - drained soil , it can put up bed wetter territory than other Goldenrod cultivar , which makes it a adept nominee for rain gardens . Deadheading the expend flower clusters encourages additional flush . ‘ firework ’ produces some cringe roots . If the flora spreads beyond the blank allotted to it , do n’t despair . The inordinateness pull up very easily . To control maturation , divide the plant every two to three twelvemonth . If you ’re not familiar with ‘ firework , ’ take note of a beautiful chunk of it growing on the earth of the Jefferson - Madison Library leg on Gordon Street in Charlottesville .
Another pop cultivar is ‘ Golden Fleece , ’ which blooms from August through September . This East Coast native goldenrod ( Solidago sphaecelata ) is more diminutive than the species , top out at about 20 in and spreading to about 3 foot .
Goldenrod is susceptible to rust fungus , which is characterized by bronze pustules on stems and lowly sides of leave . To either minimize or deflect the problem , ensure the flora has plenty of air circulation and is ride in full Dominicus . While it will tolerate some shade , it can become floppy and may need to be staked .
Many people trust goldenrod is the source of autumn hay fever and allergy symptoms . You ’ll be relieved to know that this is not the fount . The pollen of goldenrod is mucilaginous and is not wind put up . The true cause of those fall sniffle and sneezes is the wind - borne pollen of plants such as ragweed .
While some people categorize goldenrod as a mourning band , many of us regard it is a beloved wild peak . The Department of State of Kentucky , for example , likes it well enough that it namedSolidago altissimaas its state flower in 1926 . This is just one of 30 specie of goldenrod that grace the Kentucky fields and byways . Another species of goldenrod , Solidago gigantea , or giant goldenrod , has been the state flower of Nebraska since 1895 .
RESOURCES
Albemarle County Plant Database available on - line athttp://www.albemarle.org/nativeplants/.
Armitage , Allan M.,Herbaceous Perennial Plants , A treatise on Their recognition , Culture , and Garden Attributes(third Edition ) , 2008 .
DiSabato - Aust , Tracy , The Well - Tended Perennial Garden , 2006 .
Hodgson , Larry , Perennials for Every Purpose , 2000 .
U.S. Department of Agriculture Plants Database available on - line athttp://plants.usda.gov/.
Weakley , Alan S. ; Ludwig , J. Christopher ; and Townsend , John E.,Flora of Virginia , 2012 .
