{"title":"Solidago","description":"\u003cp\u003eIn the US, where goldenrod is native, it is a ubiquitous roadside plant that grows in the toughest conditions...from cracks in the asphalt, on compacted shoulders, and at abandoned building sites. One of the first signs that nature is taking back territory from encroaching humans is the arrival of the goldenrods. That should begin to tell you just how tough and adaptable this yellow-flowered perennial is. Most Americans scoff at the thought of using it in the garden because the roadside specimens they see are scraggly and unkempt. But a garden planting of goldenrod is a beautiful thing...a low spreading sub-shrub with feathery yellow flowers. Our neighbors in Europe tend to give this perennial the respect that it is due, tending it widely in their gardens and selecting superior cultivars to sell back to us.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003ch3\u003eSolidago (Goldenrod) Medicinal Uses\u003c\/h3\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eSolidago is widely known as a medicinal plant used to treat dozens of ailments including inflammation (UTIs, sore throats, eczema), as a diuretic, and also to reduce pain and speed the healing of wounds (hence the alternative name woundwort). The herbal medicine community has used goldenrod for hundreds of years, learning about its medicinal potential from Native Americans. Little do they know that this popular herbal medicine is a great garden plant.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eGoldenrod is also commonly used as a tea (tisane), especially the anise-scented leaves of \u003cem\u003eS. odora\u003c\/em\u003e which is called blue mountain tea. Goldenrod was also one of the featured ingredients in Liberty Tea, an herbal mix of US native plants used as a local tea substitute after the Boston Tea Party. The edible flower petals and young leaves can be used in the kitchen in salads, soups, etc,. Dyers also use goldenrod, extracting yellow pigments from the flowers for wool and silk textiles.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003ch3\u003eGoldenrod Misconceptions\u003c\/h3\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eSolidago species have long been dismissed as garden subjects due to the \u003ca title='Opens article \"Worth Their Weight in Gold\" in new tab' href=\"https:\/\/www.nwf.org\/Magazines\/National-Wildlife\/2017\/Aug-Sept\/Gardening\/Goldenrods\" target=\"_blank\"\u003emisconception that they cause allergies or hay fever\u003c\/a\u003e. This is in fact, untrue. They just happen to bloom at the same time as many varieties of ragweed. \u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eThere are both good and bad goldenrods. Our native \u003cem\u003eSolidago canadensis\u003c\/em\u003e has been declared a noxious weed in many countries for its aggressive running habit. Other native species (\u003cem\u003eS. rugosa\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eS. stricta\u003c\/em\u003e and others) are much better behaved and have been hybridized in Europe for decades for the cut flower market. We offer several cultivars for sale that we have found to make superb, drought-tolerant, easy-to-grow, non-aggressive perennial wildflowers and butterfly \/ hummingbird attractants.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eSolidago is the state flower of Kentucky, Nebraska, and South Carolina. With that kind of political endorsement, surely your garden deserves a goldenrod plant as well. Try pairing your goldenrod plant with other U.S. state flowers that we sell like \u003ca title=\"Myosotis alpestris is the state flower of Alaska\" href=\"\/collections\/myosotis\"\u003emyosotis\u003c\/a\u003e, \u003ca title=\"Aquilegia coerulea is the state flower of Colorado\" href=\"\/collections\/aquilegia\"\u003eaquilegia\u003c\/a\u003e, \u003ca title=\"Coreopsis is the state flower of Florida\" href=\"\/collections\/coreopsis\"\u003ecoreopsis\u003c\/a\u003e, \u003ca title=\"Violet is the state flower of Illinois\" href=\"\/collections\/viola\"\u003eviola\u003c\/a\u003e, \u003ca title=\"Peony is the state flower of Indiana\" href=\"\/collections\/peony-peonies-paeonia-plants-for-sale-itoh-yellow\"\u003epaeonia\u003c\/a\u003e, \u003ca title=\"Iris giganticaerulea is the state flower of Louisiana\" href=\"\/collections\/iris-japanese-louisiana-ensata-variegata\"\u003eiris\u003c\/a\u003e, \u003ca title=\"Rudbeckia hirta is the state flower of Maryland\" href=\"\/collections\/rudbeckia-cone-flowers\"\u003erudbeckia\u003c\/a\u003e, \u003ca title=\"Cypripedium reginae is the state flower of Minnesota\" href=\"https:\/\/www.plantdelights.sbs\/blogs\/articles\/cypripedium-orchids-lady-slipper-fit\"\u003ecypripedium\u003c\/a\u003e, \u003ca title=\"Dianthus caryophyllus is the Ohio state flower\" href=\"\/collections\/perennial-dianthus-plants-pinks-sweet-william-carnations\"\u003edianthus\u003c\/a\u003e, \u003ca title=\"Yucca is the state flower of New Mexico\" href=\"\/collections\/yucca\"\u003eyucca\u003c\/a\u003e, \u003ca title=\"Trillium grandiflorum is the Ohio state wildflower\" href=\"\/collections\/trillium\"\u003etrillium\u003c\/a\u003e, and \u003ca title=\"Gaillardia pulchella is the Oklahoma state wildflower\" href=\"\/collections\/gaillardia\"\u003egaillardia\u003c\/a\u003e for a patriotic garden display.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"solidago-sphacelata-golden-fleece","title":"Solidago sphacelata Golden Fleece","description":"\u003cp\u003eDr. Dick Lighty, former director at Delaware's Mt. Cuba Center, first saw this solidago on a flashlight walk one evening after giving a garden talk. From a modest beginning, this spectacular selection of the East Coast native goldenrod (Illinois south to Mississippi) has found its way into the finest gardens of England and Europe. The round basal leaves of Solidago 'Golden Fleece' give rise to multi-branched, 20\" long, arching spikes adorned with tiny clusters of golden-yellow flowers starting in early September...attractive to hummingbirds. Our 10-year-old clumps of Solidago 'Golden Fleece' are now just over 3' wide...very easy to grow and wonderfully drought-tolerant.\u003c\/p\u003e ","brand":"Plant Delights Nursery","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":21000541381,"sku":"734","price":21.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1527\/8799\/files\/Solidago-sphacelata-Golden-Fleece.i-734.s-67221.r-1.jpg?v=1790707937"},{"product_id":"solidago-rugosa-fireworks","title":"Solidago rugosa Fireworks","description":"\u003cp\u003eSolidago rugosa 'Fireworks' is a 1993 introduction from retired \u003ca title=\"Opens NC Botanical Garden at Chapel Hill in new tab\" href=\"https:\/\/ncbg.unc.edu\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eNC Botanical Gardens\u003c\/a\u003e' Ken Moore that has withstood the test of time and is still regarded as the top goldenrod of all times. Originally selected from an NC Coastal Plain population of Solidago rugosa, it was rated #1 in the goldenrod trials at the \u003ca title=\"Opens Chicago Botanic Garden in new tab\" href=\"https:\/\/www.chicagobotanic.org\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eChicago Botanic Garden\u003c\/a\u003e. From a slowly spreading rhizome, the stalks emerge upward in late spring, topping out at 3' tall. In mid-August in NC, the clumps are showered with 18\" long, arching spires of brilliant yellow flowers held well atop the foliage...attractive to hummingbirds. The flowers resemble fireworks or literally bombs bursting in air...one of the finest additions to the fall garden! Native bees and wasps will thank you for such a great pollinator plant.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMaintenance:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eIn the garden, Solidago 'Fireworks' goldenrod requires little maintenance. We prefer to cut the stalks to the ground in early winter to prevent reseeding. If a small amount of reseeding isn't a problem, then leave the stalks until late winter for the birds to feed on.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eIn extremely dry summer conditions, plants can be attacked by spider mites, but in irrigated conditions, this doesn't usually occur. Growing\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGrowing Conditions:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eAverage to moist soils seems to give the best garden performance in our trials. We have found it to grow equally as well on clay as in sandy soils, as long as the plants receive more than two hours of full sun daily.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGarden Value:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eTo see a clump of Fireworks goldenrod burst into flower in fall is truly an amazing site, during in a bit of a flowering lull in the garden.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNatural Impact:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eAs mentioned earlier, it's a superb pollinator plant.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Plant Delights Nursery","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":21000821701,"sku":"1032","price":21.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1527\/8799\/files\/Solidago-rugosa-Fireworks.i-1032.s-66862.r-1.jpg?v=1792184305"},{"product_id":"solidago-sp-nov-montana-minnie","title":"Solidago sp nov Montana Minnie","description":"\u003cp\u003eHoney, I shrunk the goldenrod! Solidago 'Montana Minnie' is a 2023 Plant Delights\/JLBG introduction of a fascinating new miniature goldenrod, discovered in 2015 by plantsman Patrick McMillan and his son Nic in Phillips County, Montana. This fascinating rock garden-sized goldenrod tops out at a whopping 3\" tall with short spikes of yellow, starting for us in late spring. It is slowly-stoloniferous, but plays well with others.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eWatch our \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/youtube.com\/shorts\/U6Er_x7reVc\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ePlant Spotlight\u003c\/a\u003e video for more information. \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Plant Delights Nursery","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":40069901058135,"sku":"15762","price":22.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1527\/8799\/files\/Solidago-sp-nov-Montana-Minnie.i-15762.s-67017.r-1.jpg?v=1786131539"},{"product_id":"solidago-hiddigeigei","title":"Solidago Hiddigeigei","description":"\u003cp\u003eSolidago 'Hiddigeigei' is a stunning goldenrod, grown for its screaming yellow foliage as it emerges in early spring. This form was discovered in a garden in Berlin, and was introduced and named by Christian Kress of Sarastro Nursery after a bright-eyed tomcat in a Viktor von Scheffel novel. The foliage on this tight clumper ages to green with the onset of warm weather. Solidago 'Hiddigeigei' has behaved exceptionally well in our garden trials, forming a tight clump with no seeding. So far, we have been unable to assign this to any species. This is truly a Goldenrod with two capital G's.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e ","brand":"Plant Delights Nursery","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":40069903220823,"sku":"17036","price":0.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1527\/8799\/files\/Solidago-Hiddigeigei.i-17036.s-67016.r-1_9574c2d6-70e6-4382-b427-18cb96c04ced.jpg?v=1791900216"},{"product_id":"solidago-stricta-yellow-rockets","title":"Solidago stricta Yellow Rockets","description":"\u003cp\u003eSolidago stricta 'Yellow Rockets' is a 2024 Plant Delights\/JLBG seed strain introduction from our collection in Brunswick County, NC. Solidago stricta is one of the excellent, well-behaving, US native (New Jersey to SC) goldenrods, hailing from both sandy pine barrens and wet meadows. Wand goldenrod emerges from a dense mass of basal rosettes with rigidly upright stems, clothed with adpressed (clinging tightly) leaves. These stems expand vertically during spring and summer, appearing like a colony of anorexic snakes being lured upward by a magic flute. Starting in October, the top 10\" of the \"snake\" turns to bright yellow as the flowers open...a nectar delight for native bees, monarch butterflies, and hummingbirds. Moist or well-irrigated soils are best.\u003c\/p\u003e ","brand":"Plant Delights Nursery","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":41175864016983,"sku":"17683","price":22.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1527\/8799\/files\/Solidago-stricta-Yellow-Rockets.i-17683.s-67784.r-1.jpg?v=1789579356"},{"product_id":"solidago-virgata-golden-voices","title":"Solidago virgata Golden Voices","description":"\u003cp\u003e(aka: Solidago virgata A32NC-039) Solidago 'Golden Voices' is a 2025 Plant Delights\/JLBG introduction of our Beaufort County, NC selection of the mostly coastal (NJ southwest to Texas) goldenrod, that's virtually unknown in gardens. Solidago virgata is a clumping species that grows from a large basal rosette each spring, with narrow, rod-like upright spikes that reach 6' tall, before opening to reveal the yellow flowers, which will soon be covered with feeding native bees.\u003c\/p\u003e ","brand":"Plant Delights Nursery","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":41463537008727,"sku":"17652","price":17.6,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1527\/8799\/files\/Solidago-virgata-Golden-Voices.i-17652.s-67979.r-1_80607702-deb5-4877-9af1-d73441fa9963.jpg?v=1791486440"}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1527\/8799\/collections\/Solidago-sp-nov-Montana-Minnie-1900x350_7a3bbb64-c46c-4399-a179-702ee5e48d5f.jpg?v=1688566413","url":"https:\/\/www.plantdelights.sbs\/collections\/solidago-goldenrod-plant.oembed","provider":"Plant Delights Nursery","version":"1.0","type":"link"}