One can debate whether goldenrod is a weed or a wildflower, but it does not cause seasonal allergies. Its pollen is too heavy and sticky to be blown about by the wind. But goldenrod (right) , or showy Solidago (pronounced sol-ih-DAY-go), got a bad reputation because it blooms at the same time as the insignificant flowers of ragweed. Seventy-five percent of seasonal allergy sufferers are sensitive to ragweed.
Our nation is home to 17 species of ragweed. They bloom from August into November, with pollen counts peaking in mid-September. In the most southern tier of states, they are thought to bloom most of the year. Here, Jack Frost wipes out these noisome annuals.
Hardy from USDA cold hardiness Zone 3 to Zone 9, goldenrod is a wide-ranging North American native perennial plant. The wild ones reproduce by underground rhizomes as well as seed, crowding out other species. These prairie- and meadow-loving plants are four to five feet tall and just as wide. Unless you have a large, sunny naturalized area where they can spread at will, they are not at home in a border.
(Photo: Public Enemy Ragweed)
Goldenrod plants are valued for their late-summer to early-autumn golden-yellow flowers that are borne along curving racemes or spike-like panicles. Plant hybridizers have tamed some for the garden. These are deer resistant and attract many butterflies as well as bees. They need a sunny, well-drained site and are tolerant of many soils, including clay.
In looking at the website of a company selling several varieties of goldenrod, buyer reviews were mixed to say the least. Most negative comments regarded “failure to thrive” issues, but one gardener didn’t find the plant bright enough. On the other end of the spectrum, the positive people just love it. No one was neutral or lukewarm. “Little Lemon” had the most positive reviews while “Fireworks’ and ‘Dwarf’ were quite mixed.
(Photo: Spotted together..)
Native Americans chewed the leaves of goldenrod to treat toothaches and brewed a tea of the leaves to sooth sore throats. More modern herbals use wild goldenrod to treat kidney problems.
Although I enjoy seeing sunny Solidago along the roadside, I am not too fond of it in the border. It is not yellow enough for me and is nothing when not in bloom. When it comes to ragweed, I stand and sneeze with the 75 percent waiting for frost to bring relief.
Master gardener Ann Bartlett never lets lack of familiarity with a plant stop her from trying it in the ornamental beds around her home, as long as it is yellow enough....
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