Goldenrods for a Golden Fall

Fall will be here before we know it, and the colors of goldenrod are a must for your native garden. They are also great in cut flower bunches, and usually they aren’t popular with deer. You can plant goldenrods now for lovely flowers this autumn, or you can plant them in the fall for lovely flowers next year. So this article is all about them.

Going for the Gold

Before you say, “I can’t have goldenrods—they’ll make me sneeze,” let’s put that idea to rest. Goldenrods don’t contribute to fall allergies. It’s an old misunderstanding. It comes from the fact that goldenrods and giant ragweed bloom at the same time. Ragweed causes the allergies, but goldenrod takes the hit for it because it has those bright yellow flowers and gets noticed. Ragweed has inconspicuous little green flowers and blends into the background.

Fun fact: Goldenrod pollen can’t cause allergies because it doesn’t float freely through the air. The pollen is sticky and heavy and is transported from plant to plant by bees and other pollinators. Ragweed, on the other hand, is wind pollinated. Each plant releases thousands of tiny, light pollen grains that float through the air hoping to find another ragweed plant. These are what land in your eyes and nose and cause the allergic reactions. According to internet sources, a single plant can release millions of grains per season. No wonder they plague us!

Another fun fact: It’s no coincidence that goldenrods are colorful and ragweed is not. The plants that need to attract pollinators invest in visually attractive flowers and nectar (or a sweet scent) to pull them in. Wind-pollinated plants have no need for pollinators, so they don’t put as much energy into their flowers.

Are They for the Birds?

Goldenrods and asters often come up in the context of providing critical late season food for migrating monarch butterflies. But monarchs are distasteful (and toxic) to most birds due to the chemicals they ingest as caterpillars feeding on milkweeds. So how do goldenrods benefit birds?

1. Several bird species on the monarchs’ wintering grounds in Mexico (Black-headed Grosbeaks and Black-backed Orioles) have adapted to be able to eat monarchs without a problem. By helping monarchs, you are helping these birds. (An aside: Is it mere coincidence that both of these birds are black and orange like monarchs? As are milkweed beetles, which feed on the same milkweeds as monarch caterpillars. I don’t know the answer to that.) But even here in the Northeast, some birds do eat monarchs in small quantities. These are said to include Brown Thrasher, American Robin, Common Grackle, and Northern Cardinal.
2. Goldenrod don’t only serve monarchs. They also attract other butterflies that may be tastier to birds. More importantly, they attract many other insects that are an essential food item for many bird species. And some birds such as Ruby-throated Hummingbird will feed on goldenrod nectar.
3. Goldenrods are prolific seed producers. The seeds are popular with a number of birds, including American Goldfinch, White-breasted Nuthatch, chickadees, Tufted Titmouse, Dark-eyed Juncos, and White-throated Sparrows. The seeds ripen in late fall, providing an important winter food source.

An Abundance of Gold

According to Thomas Conrad Porter’s seminal Flora of Pennsylvania, there are 30 goldenrod species native to Pennsylvania. As you can guess by how you see them along roadsides, edges of the woods, and flourishing in uncultivated fields, they are tolerant of a range of conditions, including, in some cases, poor and dry soils. Most like sun, but a few are fine with shade or part-shade. Blue-stemmed Goldenrod (Solidago caesia; also called Wreath Goldenrod) and Zigzag Goldenrod (Solidago flexicaulis) are two to go for if you want to plant in shadier areas. Showy Goldenrod (Solidago speciosa), Wrinkle-leaf or Rough-leaf Goldenrod (Solidago rugosa), and Goldenrod ‘Fireworks’ (Solidago rugosa ‘Fireworks’) are some of those commonly recommended for sunny gardens.

All of the goldenrods produce lots of seed, so you can start with a few plants and before long, you’ll have more. If you have as much as you want, you can deadhead them before the seeds disperse – but keep in mind that then birds won’t get the benefits of the seeds. As I’ve suggested before, you can compromise by clipping some and leaving some. Beware of the species (such as Canada goldenrod, Solidago canadensis) that spread aggressively through rhizomes underground. They can rapidly take over an area. That is great if you’re trying to rehabilitate a large area with a lot of invasives, but it will be a problem in smaller gardens.

Barbara Malt, Vice President of the Lehigh Valley Audubon Society and PA Master Naturalist

Image Credits:

Blue-stem Goldenrod, with permission from the author

Showy Goldenrod, with permission from Karen Campbell