Solidago sempervirens

Sizes available: #1 (Trade gallon)

Basics: zones 3-9, 24-48" x 24", sun to part shade, deep yellow bloom late summer into fall, sandy soils with good drainage, drought tolerant once established

Common names: Seaside Goldenrod, Salt-marsh Goldenrod, Northern Seaside Goldenrod

Family: Asteraceae

Origin/Distribution: Coastal areas of eastern North America down into Mexico, has been introduced in the Great Lakes region. These plants were grown from seed collected in New England and this goldenrod is native to Maine

Habitat: sand dunes, salt marshes, estuary banks in low-competition environments

More: I like using golden rods in late season bouquets. S. sempervirens is salt tolerant and not rhizomatous, so a good selection for a coastal garden. Cut back by 20-30% by July 4th to create a nice bushy clump. Not on the mammal herbivore menu, but a host plant for numerous larvae.

Goldenrods are keystone species in our region and offer excellent late-season forage for pollinators as well as being host plants for many insect larvae*. There are many different forms of goldenrods that can grow in various conditions. To know them is to love them.

Goldenrods have gotten bad publicity for causing allergies, however, they do not. The wind-pollinated ragweeds (Ambrosia species) that bloom at the same time, but are much less showy, are the cause of hay fever. Goldenrod pollen is large and sticky in order to adhere to visiting insects and therefore cannot become airborne.

*Here is a very general list of the insects that utilize our beautiful goldenrods: Butterflies, Moths, Beetles, Carpenter bees, Sweat bees, Plasterer bees, (The North Carolina Extension Gardeners Plant Toolbox has an extensive list of Goldenrod-supported specialized bees. Check it out!), Sphecid wasps, Vespid wasps, Tachnid flies, Flesh flies, Blow flies, Muscid flies, the Gall-formers such as Epiblema scudderiana, Asteromyia carbonifera, Gnorimoschema gallae solidaginis, and Procecidochares atra, all of which are native to Maine (such an interesting group - look for the galls in the late fall and early winter when they are easy to spot on the dried up stems).

Nursery: Van Berkum

Image credits: illustration from Wikimedia Commons