Illustration
Photo credits and licenses
Real photographs from naturalists and photographers worldwide, each used under its own license. Credit: Photo by Becky Dill / iNaturalist (CC0), Photo by Becky Dill / iNaturalist (CC0), Photo by Becky Dill / iNaturalist (CC0) and Photo by Becky Dill / iNaturalist (CC0). How photos are sourced →
Goldenrod
Solidago
Goldenrod blooms from August through October.
Months here are Northern Hemisphere months; in the Southern Hemisphere, shift them by six months.
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 1.5 ft wide at maturity, in roughly 2 years (not yet checked).
What was checked
Mature height and spread, 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, and each fact above says which. The planting, spacing and size sections are derived from these checked facts by a fixed rule, not checked separately, and the plant type is the library's own classification.
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. In zone 6, the middle of its hardy zones 3 to 9, 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; if you garden near zone 6, the middle of this plant's hardy range, start with zone 6 in March. Derived from the plant's category, zones and bloom months plus typical zone frost dates, not checked separately.
How big does Goldenrod get?
3 fttall5 ft 7 inan adult1.5 ftwideSee Goldenrod in a garden plan: the planner shows it in 3D beside everything else you add, growing toward this size over the years.
How far apart to plant Goldenrod
Derived from the mature spread above by a fixed rule, not checked separately: spacing is the spread, center to center.
Space Goldenrod about 1.5 ft apart, center to center, so each plant has room to reach its full width.
Add Goldenrod to a garden plan and the planner draws it at its full width, so you see the spacing before you buy.
Where these facts come from
Goldenrod's height, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags were checked against 14 published sources on July 29, 2026. Each one is linked below with every fact it carried, which can include a fact this page still marks as not yet checked, because a source carrying a value is not the same as the value being held to the standard. Facts not in that list, and the planting, spacing and size sections, are not covered by these sources.
- Missouri Botanical GardenSolidago canadensisheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- Missouri Botanical GardenSolidago speciosaheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- Missouri Botanical GardenSolidago rigidaheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- NC State ExtensionSolidago, genus pageheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- NC State ExtensionSolidago canadensisheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- NC State ExtensionSolidago speciosaheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- NC State ExtensionSolidago rugosaheight, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- prairienursery.comPrairie Nursery (Solidago speciosa)height, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- University of Illinois ExtensionIllinois Extension, Flowers (Goldenrod, Solidago rugosa)height, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- University of Illinois ExtensionSolidago rugosaheight, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- University of Wisconsin HorticultureWisconsin Horticulture, Division of Extension (Solidago rugosa 'Firewo...height, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower CenterSolidago canadensis var. canadensisheight, sun and trait tags
- Prairie Moon NurserySolidago nemoralisheight, hardiness zones and sun
- Chicago Botanic GardenPlant Profile: Goldenrodheight
How the checking works, and what each standard covers, is on the verified plants page.
Good to know about Goldenrod
Curated from university extensions, botanic gardens and other primary sources, with the source named on every note. A note reports what its source says; where that differs from a fact above, the fact above is this entry's stored value, and its mark says whether it has been checked.
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.
Lamb's Ear
Shares full sun and low water; blooms in early summer, before this one opens; both are strong pollinator plants, and they feed in different months; purple 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; purple against yellow, for contrast.
Japanese Stewartia
Takes full sun to part sun and low to moderate water; blooms in early summer, before this one opens; both are strong pollinator plants, and they feed in different months; taller at 16 ft, for the layer behind it.
Smokebush
Shares full sun and low water; blooms in early summer, before this one opens; both offer pollinator forage, in different months; taller at 10 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 North American natives.
Featured in these guides
Explore similar plants
You might also like
Foliage
Design a garden with this
Drop this plant onto a 3D plan, see how it fills in, and watch your whole garden bloom across the year.