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Goldenrod
Solidago
Goldenrod blooms from August through October.
Mature size, hardiness zones, sun and the trait tags were checked against named botanical sources for this plant. The bloom months and water need on this page were not.
Growing Goldenrod
Plant it in full sun. It prefers low water. It is hardy in USDA zones 3–9. Expect it to reach about 3 ft tall and 1.6 ft wide at maturity, in roughly 2 years.
When to plant Goldenrod
Plant Goldenrod in early spring as soon as the soil is workable, or in early fall at least six weeks before your first frost, so roots establish in cool weather. For the middle of its hardy zones 3 to 9 range, spring means March to May and fall means August or September. Once settled, it blooms from August to October.
Month-by-month timing for your zone is on the planting calendar: for the middle of its range, start with zone 6 in March.
Good to know about Goldenrod
Curated from university extensions, botanic gardens and other primary sources, with the source named on every note.
Worth knowing
Goldenrod is wrongly blamed for fall hay fever. Its pollen is too heavy to blow on the wind; the real culprit is ragweed, blooming at the same time. per Illinois
Spread depends on species
Wild tall and Canada goldenrod spread hard by rhizomes into weedy colonies, not for small beds. Clumping cultivars like 'Fireworks' stay put in borders. per NC State and Wisconsin
A toxic namesake
True goldenrod (Solidago) is non-toxic. The horse-poisoning 'rayless goldenrod' is an unrelated genus (Haplopappus) that only shares the name; check it is Solidago. per Cornell and ASPCA
Keystone for pollinators
Goldenrod blooms when little else does, feeding migrating monarchs and native bees. One study found it supported about 39 specialist bees, the most of any herb tested. per University of Maryland
Chelsea chop tames flopping
Cut tall types back by up to half in early summer to get shorter, bushier, less-floppy plants and skip staking. It only delays bloom slightly. per University of Illinois
Feeds wildlife beyond nectar
Beyond nectar, goldenrod hosts the Wavy-lined Emerald moth and the goldenrod gall fly; birds eat the seeds, and hollow winter stems shelter native bees. per NC State
What pairs well with Goldenrod
Good companions share its growing conditions and add something it lacks: an earlier or later bloom, a lower carpet in front, or structure through winter.
Thyme
Shares full sun and low water; blooms in late spring, before this one opens; both are strong pollinator plants, and they feed in different months; lower at 6 in, for the front of the border.
Creeping Phlox
Shares full sun and low water; blooms in mid spring, before this one opens; both are strong pollinator plants, and they feed in different months; lower at 6 in, for the front of the border.
Bachelor's Button
Shares full sun and low water; blooms in late spring, before this one opens; both are strong pollinator plants, and they feed in different months; blue against yellow, for contrast.
Perennial Salvia
Shares full sun and low water; blooms in late spring, before this one opens; both are strong pollinator plants, and they feed in different months; blue against yellow, for contrast.
Smokebush
Shares full sun and low water; blooms in early summer, before this one opens; both offer pollinator forage, in different months; taller at 9.8 ft, for the layer behind it.
California Poppy
Shares full sun and low water; opens in late spring and overlaps into this one's season; both are strong pollinator plants; both are native plants.
Butterfly Weed
Shares full sun and low water; opens in early summer and overlaps into this one's season; both are strong pollinator plants; both are native plants.
Crocus
Shares full sun and low water; blooms in late winter, extending the bed's season; both offer pollinator forage, in different months; lower at 4 in, for the front of the border.
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