Wildflower Wednesday: Goldenrods

Fall's best landing pads of deliciousness.

 Goldenrod is a genus of over 120 species of herbaceous perennials in the daisy family (Asteraceae). There are at least 75 native to North America. They thrive in open areas like prairies, meadows, and savannas while some species prefer woodland edges or moist conditions.

 

Goldenrods are luminous with small, bright yellow flowers in dense clusters on top of tall stems. They begin blooming in mid September in my middle Tennessee garden and continue to bloom throughout October. They put on a beautiful flower show and any insect that needs pollen and/or nectar is sure to be found visiting.You can't ask for a better fall blooming wildlife valuable plant and when you combine them with the ex-asters, you get beauty and happy critters.

 

 

Yet gardeners are reluctant to plant them, so let's get the objections over with first! 

Goldenrods have a bad reputation for two reasons.
 

• They have been misidentified as the cause of hayfever suffering. They are not responsible for any allergy symptoms you or I are having this fall. The tiny grains of wind blown pollen from ragweed is the culprit. Goldenrod is insect pollinated and the pollen grains are too big to be blown about. Pass that along please!
   
• Their tendency to colonize might be one of the main reasons so many gardeners don't plant them in their gardens. Long time readers know I have a love affair with rough and tumble, take care of themselves, colonizing wildflowers and goldenrods are the champion of colonizing wildflowers. Yes, they can be aggressive spreaders, but they are rugged and adaptable. They grow were many wildflowers cannot survive and they can spread quickly where there is no other native plant competition. Those that have been problematic propagate by a rhizomatous/spreading root system that can quickly take over a small garden. So avoid Canada Goldenrod (Solidago canadensis) and Late Goldenrod (Solidago gigantea)  two goldenrod species known for their aggressive spread by rhizomes.  If you want to plant a goldenrod but fear their nature, look for clump forming cultivated beauties like Solidago 'Solar Cascade', Solidago caesia/Bluestem Goldenrod, Solidago odora, Solidago rugosa 'Fireworks'. My favorite clump former for shade is Solidago flexicaulis/Zigzag Goldenrod.

If you stop by my garden today, you'll see Tall goldenrod/Solidago altissima holding court with New England ex-aster/Symphyotrichum novae-anglia. I love watching the Bumbles dance from aster to aster and goldenrod to goldenrod. 

Goldenrods are considered a keystone species that supports hundreds of different species across the food web. The plant provides food, shelter, and breeding grounds for a vast ecosystem of insects, which in turn sustain larger animals. 

Critter particulars: Sources

Insects 

•  Moths and butterflies: As many as 143 species of Lepidoptera (moths and butterflies) in North America are known to feed on goldenrod leaves and shoots during their larval stage. Goldenrods are especially critical for the monarch butterfly's migration, providing a vital source of nectar in the fall.  (Moth Table)  
• Bees: More than 40 species of native bees are specialists that rely on goldenrod pollen. Queen bumble bees and honey bees, too, feed on goldenrod nectar to build up fat reserves before winter.
• Wasps: Many different wasps use goldenrod. This includes parasitic wasps that lay eggs in goldenrod galls, predatory wasps that hunt other insects on the plant, and many more that feed on its nectar.     
• Flies: Goldenrod gall flies/Eurosta solidaginis lay their eggs inside the stem, causing a gall to form where the larva can safely grow and overwinter. Other types of flies, such as hoverflies and midges, also feed on goldenrod.     
• Beetles: Numerous beetle species consume goldenrod, from pollen-eaters like the locust borer to predators like the goldenrod soldier beetle, which eats aphids.     
• Other insects and arachnids: True bugs (like aphids and stink bugs), grasshoppers, thrips, and ambush bugs all feed on goldenrod.

 Birds      

• Insect-eaters: Birds like woodpeckers and chickadees consume the insects and larvae that shelter in the galls on goldenrod stems, which is a key food source during the winter.     
• Seed-eaters: Once the flowers fade, the seeds provide nourishment for songbirds like eastern goldfinches, juncos, and sparrows during the colder months.     
• Game birds: Larger birds such as turkey, grouse, and pheasant have been known to eat goldenrod leaves and seeds 

 Mammals      

• Seed-eaters: Small mammals like squirrels, raccoons, and opossums eat the seeds from the goldenrod.     
• Browsers: Though often considered deer-resistant, mammals like white-tailed deer, rabbits, and other rodents will sometimes browse the leaves.

 Just a few photos of some of the frequent visitors on goldenrods in my garden

                                    Skippers are frequent visitors on goldenrods.
 

Locust borer

Ambush bug waiting for unsuspecting critters

                             

Green Sweat Bee

                                                                    

More Bumbles

   

Honeybee from neighbor's hive

                                                   

 Ailanthus webworm moth 

Why I recommend goldenrods for your garden.

• Bloom when needed most: bees are provisioning their nests for the winter and monarch butterflies are feeding on nectar that they need for their migratory journey south. 
• They're also a valuable food source for a wide range of pollinators, moths, and other butterflies in other words they support the local ecosystem. 
•  Support more species of moths and butterflies than most plants 
• Host plants: they provide food for the larvae of certain insects, which are then eaten by birds like woodpeckers and chickadees. 
• Tough and adaptable to most garden conditions.
• Low maintenance. 
• Their roots support soil structure and help prevent erosion. 
• Beautiful in bloom.
• They make a spectacular impact  
• Provides seeds over the winter for chickadees, finches, nuthatches and pine siskins as well as shelter in the dried stalks for predatory spiders and wasps.
• Some like Zig zag goldenrod have beautiful fall color.  

 

                                                 The Particulars

 Genus: Solidago 

Family: Asteraceae

Common name: Goldenrod 

Life Cycle: Perennial

Flower Color: Gold/Yellow 

Flower Inflorescence: Corymb, Panicle, Raceme

Flower Bloom Time: Fall/Summer 

Native range: Throughout US

Light: Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) Except the ones that prefer shade

Moisture: Medium to dry

USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b 

Propagation: Division, seed 

Comments: Goldenrod is a herbaceous perennial adaptable to poor soil, tolerant of drought once established and has potential to reseed. Consider them for a butterfly garden, drought tolerant garden, native plant habitat, pollinator garden, rain garden, naturalistic garden and a meadow. There's sure to be a perfect one for your garden conditions.

Wildlife Value: Birds eat the plant's seed. This plant supports Wavy-lined Emerald (Synchlora aerata) larvae. It also attracts butterflies, bees, and wasps. The genus Solidago supports the following specialized bees: Andrena (Callandrena s.l.) asteris, Andrena (Callandrena s.l.) braccata, Andrena (Cnemidandrena) hirticincta, Andrena (Cnemidandrena) nubecula, Andrena (Callandrena s.l.) simplex, Perdita (Perdita) octomaculata, Melissodes (Eumelissodes) fumosus, Colletes simulans, and Colletes solidaginis. It is a common host of the beneficial beetle, the goldenrod soldier beetle.

 

Goldenrod gall

Dear Readers, Thank you for stopping by to see our September Wildflower Wednesday star! Goldenrods don't scare me! I hope that I've been able to show you that there's much more good than bad in these golden beauties that light up our fall gardens and provide for critters. Check with a local native plant nursery in your part of the world to find the best goldenrods for your garden. xoxogail

PS If you want to provide for fall pollinators you must plant landing pads of deliciousness like Goldenrods. And you must never, ever, ever, ever, use pesticides in your garden. I mean never!

 

Thank you for stopping by and welcome to Clay and Limestone's Wildflower Wednesday celebration. WW is about sharing and celebrating wildflowers from all over this great big, beautiful world. Join us on the fourth Wednesday of each month. Remember, it doesn't matter if your wildflower is in bloom or not; and, it doesn't matter if we all share the same plants.

 Gail Eichelberger is a gardener, Tennessee Naturalist and nature writer in Middle Tennessee. She loves wildflowers and native plants and thoroughly enjoys writing about the ones she grows at Clay and Limestone. She reminds all that the words and images are the property of the author and cannot be used without written permission.

Wildflower Wednesday: Thankful for my wildflower habitat

Tomorrow is officially the day of thanksgiving in the USA, but I try to be appreciative and thankful every day about the good people, good things, good wildflowers and good garden critters in my life. Because the last two years have been especially challenging for me as a gardener, I am working extra hard at appreciating what is revealed to me every day in my garden. This Wildflower Wednesday post is in celebration of the wildflower and native plant beauty in the garden this month. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I have in putting it together. xoxogail

November 24, 2021~what an aster!

After several freezing nights the flowers are gone from the garden, except a few of the last to bloom Willowleaf asters. They are a must have plant for me and I recommend that you add them to your garden, too. You need a plant that survives several frosts and deep freezes and this one does. If the temperatures were to rebound to warmer than 60˚ in the next week the bees would be back.

Hamamelis virginiana is also still blooming. The flowers furl when it's cold and unfurl when the day warms up. I can't imagine gardening without this understory tree. On warm days its honey scent wafts around the garden on the slightest breeze. It's been a Wildflower Wednesday star and will be again.

Can you spot the partridge pea seed in its pod?

Verbesina virginica's marvelous and magical frost flowers were blooming this morning.  I never tire of seeing them "blooming". All it takes is a warm winter day followed by a cold winter night. During the day, the roots draw water up into the stem and later that night freezing temperatures force the sap from the stems where they freeze into sculptural ice candy flower curls. When I see them on my early morning walk I am reminded that magic is still happening and that the garden is just resting.

Frost aster

Just a few days ago, along with the witch hazels and ex-asters, False dragonhead, mums, Frost aster, Pineapple sage and African Blue basil were in bloom. The resident bumbles and our neighbor's honeybees were visiting. The annuals were alive only because I was covering them up on frosty nights. When the inevitable winter weather came to stay I folded the sheets up and put them away ready for next April when late frost threatens my spring garden. Oh, in case you wondered, I made cuttings and saved some basil for salads.

Bumble on African Blue basil flowers

New readers may be wondering why I have non-natives in my garden, long time readers know that any plants added to this garden need to be more than just pretty faces. Our growing season is long; bees that are provisioning their nests for the winter and migrating butterflies and hummingbirds need all the pollen and nectar than can get. Basils and Salvias  provide that much needed nectar and/or pollen in mid/late fall when many native plants have gone to seed. My garden continues to be mostly native, but I believe that adding pollen and nectar rich non-natives enhances a pollinator habitat.

They also have very pretty faces and taste wonderful in salads.

Cotinus 'Grace' and Cercis canadensis

 I am thankful for all the wildflowers. They have brought me so much joy. When I stop and think about it I have wildflowers to thank for helping me gain new knowledge, for great adventures and for meeting new people. Without wildflowers I might never have realized the possibilities for a garden with difficult growing conditions like I have here at Clay and Limestone. I would surely never have met the unique plants and trees that grow in middle Tennessee, I wouldn't have begun blogging and I wouldn't have met wonderful friends like you dear readers  or at Garden Bloggers Flings. Nor would I have become a Tennessee Naturalist.

Porteranthus stipulatus

 My love for wildflowers opened my eyes to pollinators and their importance to our gardens, to agriculture and to the earth. When I speak of wildflowers I include shrubs and trees.

 

Shagbark hickory

In the drama of a wildflower garden there are no bit players. The canopy, the understory, the herbacious layer and the ground cover are all part of a diverse ensemble. All the players are essential; all provide food, nesting and shelter for mammals and birds; they're host plants for a variety of insects that are a primary food source for birds, bats, small mammals, amphibians and even other insects that you want in your garden. 

Lindera benzoin

As I walk the garden I marvel at beauty of late fall colors.

Looking down I notice that the spring blooming biennials and annuals have germinated. Fallen leaves never smother them.

Phacelia bipinnatifida

 

The garden is a sea of browning leaves and seedheads. I think they're beautiful. 

The promise of spring is in every one of those seeds. It's everywhere if you look carefully. Take a close look at your native shrubs. Dogwoods and Viburnums show their flower buds at the tips of their stems and the buds of late winter blooming witch hazels and spring blooming spicebush line the stems. 

 

Panicum virgatum

Native grasses like switchgrass glow in many shades of brown and gold. Please don't cut them down in fall, they provide shelter for small mammals and birds, song birds eat the seeds and they're host plants for several skippers.

American Hop Hornbeam

By the first of December most of the American hop hornbeam, persimmon, ash, oaks, hickories, hackberries, elms, serviceberries, dogwoods, spicebush, paw-paws will have dropped all their leaves. I leave most of the leaves where they fall. Butterflies, bees and other insects rely on leaf litter for protection and I don't want to mow them or blow them away.       

Chokecherry offers miniature apple looking fruit if any critter wants to nibble. 

Understory trees and shrubs like Hydrangeas, Viburnums, hearts-a-bustin, witch-hazel, Hypericums, sumacs, Alabama snowwreath, leatherwood, Iteas, buckeyes, and Alabama croton add a lot of color to the late fall garden. So many more, all with excellent wildlife value and I haven't even listed the perennials/wildflowers. 

I am grateful that so many plants happily grow in my shallow, clay soil.

Euonymus americanus/hearts a bustin

I came to love wildflowers so much that I wanted others to appreciate them. That's why I started the Wildflower Wednesday monthly meme. Too many of our native plants are underappreciated and underutilized. They're also sometimes downright impossible to find locally. But keep on looking for them, each season more native plants are offered and there are wonderful online seed and plant resources.

Rhus aromatica an attractive sumac with great fall color

Blogging has changed since I began in February 2008, but, I still love sharing wildflowers with you all. Thank you for stopping by to read and thank you for commenting. After all these years your comments still mean the world to me. A special thank you for all of you who continue to plant natives and share them on your own blogs.

 Happy Wildflower Wednesday

This year, I am especially grateful for the health and well being of my family; for loving and supportive friends; for fall weather; and, for wildflowers that bloomed no matter how horrid the weather has been.  Happy Thanksgiving to you all, xoxogail

 

Welcome to Clay and Limestone's Wildflower Wednesday celebration. I am so glad you stopped by. WW is about sharing and celebrating wildflowers from all over this great big, beautiful world. Join us on the fourth Wednesday of each month. Remember, it doesn't matter if they are in bloom or not; and, it doesn't matter if we all share the same plants. It's all about celebrating wildflowers.

Gail Eichelberger is a gardener and therapist in Middle Tennessee. She loves wildflowers and native plants and thoroughly enjoys writing about the ones she grows at Clay and Limestone. She reminds all that the words and images are the property of the author and cannot be used without written permission.

Salvia elegans is delightful in a pollinator garden

 I believe that adding pollen and nectar rich non-natives enhances a pollinator habitat...especially the ones that bloom in mid fall. Our middle south growing season is long; bees that are provisioning their nests for the winter and migrating butterflies and hummingbirds need all the help that they can get in blooming plants. Pineapple sage is especially valuable at this time of year. This fabulous native of South America blooms in early fall just when the garden needs a jolt of delicious red and the hummers moving south need nectar to fuel their flight.

Salvia elegans was planted in 2009 and survived a mild winter with only leaves for mulch, but, a normal and wet winter killed it and now it lives in containers from spring until the first killing frosts. I say killing frosts because I protect all my blooming plants, annuals and perennials, with old bed sheets if we are continuing to have warm days and only an occasional fall frost.

Salvia elegans is culinary plant that I don't even think about eating. Even if they are said to be tasty in a salad, I won't be picking the flowers, not after waiting all season for them to bloom.

The Cloudless Sulphur, Phoebis sennae nectaring on Salvia elegans

 Once they bloom the Cloudless Sulphurs are all over them. That's one reason they're in my garden. The other one is that they are attractive to hummingbirds and are blooming when they migrate through middle Tennessee.

I think of Pineapple sage as a hummingbird and butterfly plant and was surprised to see this bee nectaring.

Pineapple sage is fast growing, but slow to bloom. I tuck them into containers and patiently wait for the fall show. The 3 inch plants I planted in spring are 3 foot tall and 2 foot wide with bright green leaves that are a foil for the scarlet red flowers. In a sunnier garden with moist soil they can reach sub-shrub size.  Already this season there have been butterfly, hummers and bees nectaring on the scarlet blooms.

Critters beware! A Crab spider is lurking.

 It goes without saying that its best in fall when it sends up those vivid red flowers. If you want gorgeous summer color plant S elegans ‘Golden Delicious', the fire-engine red blooms and chartreuse leaves are incredible and look smashing with the purple blues of the ex-asters.


 The Particulars in case you wanted more info!

Family: Lamiaceae with typical characteristics of opposite leaves and square stems.
Genus/species: Salvia elegans
Common Name: pineapple sage
Type: Herbaceous/shrubby perennial
Zone zones 8 to 10:
Height: 3.00 to 4.00 feet
Spread: 2.00 to 3.00 feet
Leaves: ovate, soft-hairy, light green (to 3” long).
Flower: Two-lipped bright scarlet red flowers (to 1” long), in loose whorls, bloom on terminal spikes to 8” long from late summer into fall.
Bloom Time: August to October
Sun: Full sun
Water: Medium, well draining
Comments: An easy peasy plant for middle south and southern gardens. Folks gardening further north might have to move it inside to appreciate the bloom. They may bloom too late for hummers, but, you can enjoy the beauty and add the flowers to your salads. I have been known to cover them when a frost is forecast and warm weather is expected to return.  
Attracts: Hummingbirds, Butterflies and bees


xoxogail


Gail Eichelberger is a gardener and therapist in Middle Tennessee. She loves wildflowers and native plants and thoroughly enjoys writing about the ones she grows at Clay and Limestone. She reminds all that the words and images are the property of the author and cannot be used without written permission.

Must have fall blooming supportive players for my wildlife friendly garden

Dear friends,

The plants in my garden need to be more than just pretty faces. These three non-natives provide much needed nectar and/or pollen in mid/late fall when many native plants have gone to seed. My garden continues to be mostly native, but I believe that adding pollen and nectar rich non-natives enhances a pollinator habitat. Our growing season is long; bees that are provisioning their nests for the winter and migrating butterflies and hummingbirds need the extra blooms that they bring to the garden.

They also have very pretty faces.

xoxogail

Of course, you all know that the very best thing you can do for bees and other pollinators is to never, ever, ever, ever use pesticides! 

 For long bloom and a fantastic pollinator buffet, plant African Blue Basil. 

 It's a sensory treat of pretty flowers, buzzing bees and fragrance all summer long.

It's a tender perennial and blooms non-stop...Well, until a freeze stops it. It's not an easy plant to find, but, worth the trouble to locate it.

Ocimum kilimandscharicum x basilicum 'Dark Opal'

 The leaves of African blue basil are purple when young and folks claim that it makes a wonderful pesto! I'll never know because I am growing this beauty for the bees.

Oh my gosh, is this ever a buffet for bees of all sizes.

Family: Lamiaceae 
Cultivar: Ocimum kilimandscharicum x basilicum “Dark Opal”
Type: Tender perennial
Hardiness Zone:  9-11
Height: 2 feet in my garden
Spread:  2 feet 
Color:  Purple leaves. Whitish/pinkish flowers
Bloom: non-stop summer until frost
Comments: It's sterile and never sets seed, so I will take cuttings and hope they make it through the winter. It's taller than most basil plants and if that bothers you, pinch the tips and it will remain shorter and fuller. This should be in every pollinator garden...It's blooming now and has been for months.



Another must have for my garden is the late blooming Pineapple sage.

This fabulous native of South America blooms in early fall just when the garden needs a jolt of delicious red and the hummers moving south need nectar to fuel their flight. 

The Cloudless Sulphur, Phoebis sennae nectaring on Salvia elegans

Salvia elegans is another culinary plant that I haven't brought to the table! I can't imagine picking the flowers (even if they are said to be tasty in a salad) after waiting all summer for them to bloom. Once they bloom the Cloudless Sulphurs are all over them. That's one reason they're in my garden. The other one is that they are attractive to hummingbirds and are blooming when they migrate through middle Tennessee.

I think of Pineapple sage as a hummingbird and butterfly plant and was surprised to see this bee nectaring.

Pineapple sage are fast growing, but slow to bloom. I tuck them into the Susans Bed and patiently wait for the fall show. The 3 inch plants I planted in spring are 3 foot tall and 2 foot wide with bright green leaves that are a foil for the scarlet red flowers. In a sunnier garden with moist soil they can reach sub-shrub size. This season there have been butterfly, hummers and bees nectaring on the scarlet blooms.

Critters beware! A Crab spider is lurking.

Family: Lamiaceae
Genus/species: Salvia elegans
Common Name: pineapple sage
Type: Herbaceous perennial
Zone zones 8 to 10
Height: 3.00 to 4.00 feet
Spread: 2.00 to 3.00 feet
Bloom Time: August to October
Color: Red
Sun: Full sun
Water: Medium
Comments: An easy peasy plant for middle south and southern gardens. Folks gardening further north might have to move it inside to appreciate the bloom. They may bloom too late for hummers, but, you can enjoy the beauty and add the flowers to your salads. I have been known to cover them when a frost is forecast and warm weather is expected to return.  
Attracts: Hummingbirds, Butterflies and bees


Salvia x 'Mystic Spires' is a third must have supportive player for my wildlife friendly garden.

Bombus pennsylvanicus is my guess, but it is only a guess!

This is a stunning blue flower that looked wonderful with the Golden Asters that bloomed in September. I don't plant this in the garden, but into containers that I strategically place in the garden.  The nectar rich flowers attract a variety of pollinators including hummingbirds, butterflies, and a variety of bees, but especially bumblebees in my garden.

A month of 90+ weather didn't stop 'Mystic Spires' from flowering. I expect it to flower until we have a freeze. You can be sure I will cover this one if warm weather is forecast to follow a freeze or frost!  I am hoping it will overwinter, because this is a fantastic plant for a critter friendly garden. 

Family: Lamiaceae

Salvia x 'Mystic Spires'
No common name
Parentage: (S. longispicata and S. farinacea)
Type: Perennial in zones 7b to 10b
Height 3 ft. to 6 ft.
Spread 1 ft. to 3 ft.
Light Full Sun
Bloom: Early Summer, Late Summer, Summer
Color: Deep blue, incredibly showy
Comments: Is happy in a container. Might overwinter if winter drainage is good in  Zone 7. If it looks scraggly or needs to be refreshed, just cut it back, more blooms will follow.
Wildlife: Attracts Butterflies, Bees,  Hummingbirds


PS  Now make this garden blogger smile and pop over to May Dreams Gardens, where our delightful hostess, Carol, has set up the Mr Linky magic carpet ride to take you to more Bloom Day posts than you can imagine.

Gail Eichelberger is a gardener and therapist in Middle Tennessee. She loves wildflowers and native plants and thoroughly enjoys writing about the ones she grows at Clay and Limestone. She reminds all that the words and images are the property of the author and cannot be used without written permission.