Goldenrod is a native North American perennial wildflower that is tall and slim with fluffy golden flower spikes in various shades of yellow. Once regarded as an invasive weed, goldenrod is increasingly valued by gardeners thanks to cultivars that offer better performance and more attractive flowers. Goldenrod grows best in any sunny location, survives well in average or even poor soil, and thrives in temperatures between 65 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit.
Common name | Goldenrod, Golden Rod |
Botanical name | Solidago |
Family | Asteraceae |
Origin | North America, Mexico, South America, and Eurasia |
Life cycle | Perennial |
Plant type | Herbaceous Perennial |
Hardiness zone | 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 |
Sunlight | Full Sun |
Maintenance | Medium |
Soil condition | Clay |
Soil ph | Acid |
Drainage | Well-Drained |
Growth rate | Medium |
Spacing | 3 ft. – 6 ft. |
Flowering period | Fall |
Flower color | Gold, Yellow |
Leaf color | Green |
Stem color | Green |
Flower benefit | Showy |
Garden style | Butterfly Garden |
Uses | Meadow |
I. Appearance and Characteristics
Solidago, commonly called goldenrods, is a genus of about 100 to 120 species of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae. Most are herbaceous perennial species found in open areas such as meadows, prairies, and savannas. They are mostly native to North America, including Mexico; a few species are native to South America and Eurasia. Some American species have also been introduced into Europe and other parts of the world.
Solidago species are perennials growing from woody caudices or rhizomes. Their stems range from decumbent (crawling) to ascending or erect, with a range of heights going from 5 cm (2.0 in) to over a meter. Most species are unbranched, but some do display branching in the upper part of the plant. Both leaves and stems vary from glabrous (hairless) to various forms of pubescence (strigose, strigillose, hispid, stipitate-glandular or villous). In some species, the basal leaves are shed before flowering. The leaf margins are most commonly entire, but often display heavier serration. Some leaves may display trinerved venation rather than the pinnate venation usual across Asteraceae. The flower is also the state flower of Kentucky.

The flower heads are usually of the radiate type (typical daisy flower heads with distinct ray and disc florets) but sometimes discoid (with only disc florets of mixed, sterile, male and types). Only ray florets are female, others are male, hermaphroditic or entire sterile. Head involucres are campanulate to cylindric or attenuate. Floret corollas are usually yellow, but white in the ray florets of a few species (such as Solidago bicolor); they are typically hairless. Heads usually include between 2 and 35 disc florets, but in some species this may go up to 60. Filaments are inserted closer to the base of the corolla than its middle. Numerous heads are usually grouped in complex compound inflorescences where heads are arranged in multiple racemes, panicles, corymbs, or secund arrays (with florets all on the same side).
Solidago cypselae are narrowly obconic to cylindrical in shape, and they are sometimes somewhat compressed. They have eight to 10 ribs usually and are hairless or moderately hispid. The pappus is very big with barbellate bristles.
The many goldenrod species can be difficult to distinguish, due to their similar bright, golden-yellow flower heads that bloom in late summer. Propagation is by wind-disseminated seeds or by spreading underground rhizomes which can form colonies of vegetative clones of a single plant. They are mostly short-day plants and bloom in late summer and early fall. Some species produce abundant nectar when moisture is plentiful, or when the weather is warm and sunny.
II. How to Grow and Care
Sunlight
Goldenrod craves full sun for optimal flowering. The plant will tolerate a bit of shade, though a shady location can reduce its blooms.

John Rusk
CC BY 2.0
Temperature and Humidity
The hardiness range varies a bit depending on the species, but most goldenrods thrive in USDA cold hardiness zones 2 to 8, taking heat and cold weather in stride. Goldenrod isn’t fussy about humidity, either.
Watering
Water new goldenrod plants weekly to maintain damp, but not soggy soil. Mature goldenrod plants are drought tolerant and rarely need supplemental watering except when rainfall is scarce.
Soil
Goldenrod is not overly picky about soil but it must be well-drained with a pH in the acidic-to-neutral range. This plant can tolerate sandy, rocky, and clay soils. Very rich soil can cause the plant to become leggy and potentially flop over.
Fertilizing
Fertilizing goldenrod is typically not necessary because the plants do well in lean soil conditions. However, if the soil quality is poor or you wish to give your plants a boost to increase their height, add a layer of compost in the spring.

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CC BY-SA 4.0
Too much fertilization often leads to floppy green growth and reduces flower production.
Pruning
Pruning stem tips early in the season can result in goldenrod plants becoming fuller and bushier and lead to more flowers later in the season. Deadheading spent flower heads can prolong the bloom season well into fall. Removing the flower heads before they go to seed can prevent rampant self-seeding. At the end of the season or in late winter, cut the plant stalks back to a few inches above ground level.
Propagation
Use this process to propagate goldenrod by division in the spring:
- When new growth has just started, lift the entire plant out of the ground with a shovel. If it is too big to move in a single piece, do so in sections. Every section should have at least a couple of growth tips.
- Shake off any excess soil, which helps to separate the rhizomes into smaller sections.
- Replant each section at the same depth as the original plant and water it well. Keep watering the division until you see new growth.
You can also propagate goldenrod from cuttings:
- In the early summer, use clean garden shears to cut 4-inch shoots from the base of the plant and dip the cut ends in rooting hormone.
- Plant the cuttings about 1 inch deep in a 4- to 6-inch pot filled with potting mix and slowly water until the soil is evenly moist and water starts to drip out of the drainage holes.
- Place the pot in a protected location out of direct sunlight and drying winds.
- Keep the soil moist at all times.
- When you see new growth, transplant the goldenrod into the garden.
Potting and Repotting
Because goldenrod is a vigorous spreader, gardeners sometimes grow it in pots where it can be contained better than in garden beds. Use a container at least 12 inches in diameter with large drainage holes. Unglazed clay is ideal because it lets excess moisture evaporate.

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CC BY-SA 3.0
Fill the pot with a quality potting mix, place the plant in the pot, and backfill with the potting mix. Water the plant slowly and thoroughly until the soil is evenly moist. Like all container plants, even established goldenrod needs to be watered regularly, unlike in a garden setting.
When roots grow out of the drainage holes, or the plant becomes root-bound, transplant it to a larger pot, or divide it and replant a section of it in a pot of the same size with fresh potting soil.
Overwintering
Goldenrod is a hardy plant up to USDA cold hardiness zone 2 and does not need protection unless grown in containers, in which case it is recommended to winterize the containers to insulate the roots against freezing temperatures.
In the garden, the stems can be cut down to a few inches above ground level after frost kills the foliage. Removing the stems, including seed heads, will reduce self-seeding in the garden.
Pests and Diseases
Goldenrod can be attacked by beetles, aphids, and gall-forming insects, though the results are rarely fatal. The flower can also be affected by rust fungus, powdery mildew, and leaf spot. These fungal diseases are usually tolerated, though spraying with fungicide is an option. Most species prefer drier soils, and root rot is a possibility in dense, damp soils.
III. How to encourage more blooms

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Other than giving the plant sun, there is not much else to do with goldenrod that will encourage more blooms. When these plants fail to bloom, it’s usually because they don’t receive enough sun. And like many native plants, giving excessive fertilizer to goldenrod can have a counterproductive effect by stimulating green growth but reducing flower production.
IV. Uses and Benefits
- Landscaping
When landscaping with goldenrod, it’s important to choose a species or cultivar that can properly fit the role you want it to fill.
Some species, such as S. canadensis, can be aggressive, forming colonies 10 to 20 feet across. These selections will be put to good use in where their spread will be a virtue, such as in meadows or other large-scale wildflower gardens where they can naturalize.
Once you have selected the right type for your needs, remember that most species are late bloomers.
Taller types will be well placed at the back of a planting where their green mass of foliage can provide a backdrop for earlier bloomers.

John Rusk
CC BY 2.0
For more confined spaces, clumping species or cultivars will behave nicely in a border or cottage garden.
Goldenrods can also be used in cut flower gardens, and they make excellent, brightly colored fillers for fresh flower arrangements.
Other uses include planting in pollinator gardens or butterfly gardens, providing forage for migratory species with their late-season blooms.
- Traditional medicine
Solidago virgaurea is used in a traditional kidney tonic by practitioners of herbal medicine to counter inflammation and irritation caused by bacterial infections or kidney stones. Goldenrod is also used in some formulas for cleansing of the kidney or bladder during a healing fast, in conjunction with potassium broth and specific juices. Some Native American cultures traditionally chew the leaves to relieve sore throats, and the roots to relieve toothaches.
- Medicinal exploration
In various assessments by the European Medicines Agency with respect to Solidago virgaurea, non-clinical data shows diuretic, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, analgesic and spasmolytic, antibacterial, antifungal, anticancer and immunomodulatory activity. However, as no single ingredient is responsible for these effects, the whole herbal preparation of Solidago inflorescences must be considered as the active ingredient.
- Cultural significance
The goldenrod is the state flower of the U.S. states of Kentucky (adopted 1926) and Nebraska (adopted 1895). Solidago altissima, tall goldenrod, was named the state wildflower of South Carolina in 2003. The sweet goldenrod (Solidago odora) is the state herb of Delaware. Goldenrod was the state flower of Alabama, but it was later rejected in favor of the camellia.