What's wrong with Goldenrod?

Absolutely nothing! 

Goldenrods put on a beautiful flower show in early autumn and any insect that needs pollen and nectar is sure to be found visiting. That's why I refer to them as landing pads of deliciousness.


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!

*They can be aggressive spreaders. Goldenrods 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. If you want to plant them, 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.

Zigzag Goldenrod

Long time readers know I have a love affair with rough and tumble, take care of themselves, colonizing wildflowers. If you stop by my garden today, you'll see Tall goldenrod/Solidago altissima duking it out with New England ex-aster/Symphyotrichum novae-angliae in the sunnier parts of the garden.

Next to oak trees, goldenrods may be the best wildflower for hundreds of insects

You'll see pollinators, especially bumbles, dancing from aster to aster, goldenrod to goldenrod and back to their nests. All day long.

Lichen moth

Although, it was the bumbles that led me to wildflowers and gardening for wildlife; it is the hundreds of other critters that visit and live in my garden that keep me committed to planting native wildflowers. Even when those flowers are thuggish! 

Ambush bug waiting for unsuspecting critters

Bumbles, song birds, spiders, flies, beetles, hoverflies, moths, butterfly and ambush bugs will always have Goldenrods to feed on at Clay and Limestone. Our native bees rely heavily on collected pollen and nectar found in Goldenrods to provide food for the winter brood's survival. Migrating butterflies stop by for the nectar to help them on their long flight and the seeds are needed by chickadees, finches and pine siskins during the winter.

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.
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, ever use pesticides in your garden. I mean never!



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.

Goldenrods

Possibly Fall's best landing pads of deliciousness

Bumbles

Skippers

 Locust Borer (Megacyllene robiniae)

Green Sweat Bee

More Bumbles

Honeybee from neighbor's hive

They might all want to watch out for this Ambush bug (subfamily Phymatinae), which waits to prey on all of the Goldenrod visitors!

Goldenrods provide a big flower show each year and any insect that needs pollen and nectar is sure to be found visiting.Today after a week of rain I stood in the garden and could see hundreds of insects stopping by their golden blooms! You can't ask for a better wildlife valuable plant when it comes to fall wildflowers and when you combine them with the ex-asters, you get beauty and happy pollinators.

xoxogil

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

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.

Pollinator of the Week!

 Our pollinator of the week goes by several names~Pennsylvania soldier beetle, Goldenrod soldier beetle or Pennsylvania leatherwing. They're a common beetle in the eastern US and they're found in a staggering number on wildflowers in late summer/early fall, where they feed on pollen and meet a mate. Because of their frequent contact with flowers, soldier beetles are important pollinators. (above:Verbesina)

Feeding on Wild garlic

In my garden the adults are commonly seen on my favorite fall blooming  rough and tumble wildflowers~ Solidago, Verbesina, Stokesia, Heleniums and even alliums. They're harmless to humans and the flowers they visit, but, the number of visitors per flower may worry new or inexperienced gardeners. Please leave them be, they're beneficial garden critters.

'Peachie's Pick' Stokesia with Soldier Beetle

Pollination is incidental, soldier beetles are there to feed and mate. It's their larvae that do the most "beneficial" work for our garden systems, feeding on soft bodied critters in the soil. We're unlikely to see the larvae, which have been described as looking like tiny alligators, they're hidden in the leaf litter munching on grasshopper eggs and other soft bodied insects that might harm our garden plants. (Please note, here's another good reason to leave the leaves in place, many beneficial insects over winter in fallen leaves.)

Feeding on Helenium

If your goal is to have a pesticide free garden then you want to attract as many beneficial insects as possible to your garden. If you want soldier beetles, then plant pollen rich wildflowers like goldenrods, Verbesinas and other asteraceas that bloom in the late summer or early fall.

Happy pollinator gardening.
xoxogail

Name:    Chauliognathus pensylvanicus
Family:  Cantharidae
Size:       5/8-inch long
Color:     orange beetles, with two prominent brown-black spots on the elytra
Seen:       August and September in the middle south, July in the upper midwest
Roll:        Beneficial insect: Adult pollinates flowers and the larvae predates on grasshopper eggs and soft 
                bodied bugs

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.

Almost Wordless Wednesday

The garden this morning

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.

Wildflower Wednesday: Some Plants Like to Challenge the Boundaries!

At Clay and Limestone we call several of them good friends.

Physostegia virginiana, aka, False dragonhead is a good friend of my garden. It's one of the rough and tumble wildflowers that makes gardening on my shallow, often dry garden soil worth the effort!

It's an enthusiastic grower, but, I decided years ago that a lovely lilac river of spiky flowers that attracts bumbles, small bees, skippers and hummers was worth having to pull out a few errant plants. (go here for more on this plant)

This mint can get a root hold in your moist, rich garden soil

Successful colonizers like False dragonhead do create work for gardeners. I've even heard several gardenblogging friends say they've banned them from their gardens! My dear friends, it's your garden plant what ever you want, but, please, don't call them invasive! They're colonizers! They're thug. They're highly competitive, but, they are not invasive species. Let's not scare off gardeners who may be considering planting more natives!

the first flowers open from the bottom

As many of you may know, my mostly native garden has its fair share of colonizers. I let them duke it out all summer and I am never disappointed by the fall show!

I do have to step into the fray occasionally to stop some of the more highly competitive plants like the  Solidagos from taking over. Goldenrods are the king of colonizing wildflowers, some more than others! Don't let that stop you from adding them to your garden, they are quite possibly the best wildflowers for critters and there are many delightful cultivars that are NOT thugs!

A Locust borer stops by for a snack

Goldenrods have great wildlife value. Native bees rely heavily on Goldenrods for both pollen and nectar to provide food for the winter brood's survival. Migrating butterflies stop by for the nectar to help them on their long flight and the seeds are needed by chickadees, finches and pine siskins during the winter. Goldenrods are also important attractors of beneficial insects like soldier beetles, hoverflies and pirate beetles.

We need those predators in our organic gardens....so plant goldenrods! Trust me, there's a perfect one for your garden!

This is the famous Frostweed in flower. It's a favorite of bumbles.

Verbesina virginica is another assertive native plant! Seedlings have germinated far from the parent plants thanks to wind and birds! That doesn't mean I would ban it from the garden, but, I am ruthless about removing seedlings of this biennial!

Buckeye butterfly visiting Verbesina

Verbesina is another good wildlife value plant. Bumbles, carpenter bees, beetles, butterflies and moths are frequent visitors. It's also the host plant for the caterpillars of the Silvery Checkerspot butterfly.

Symphyotrichum novae-angliae is another healthy colonizer, for which I am very grateful! After a long summer of Black-eyed Susan's I am ready for a big show!

New England aster with Helianthus salicifolius 'First Light'

A big lavender show is exactly what I have...This ex-aster spreads by seed, but this gardener is the one who has transplanted it to a dozen spots in my small sunny border! It's the perfect purple! It looks beautiful from across the garden and it is the perfect partner for one of my favorite late summer blooming asteraceas, Helianthus salicifolius 'First Light'.

You'lllove this flower massed in the garden

The same applies to this fantastic mist flower! If you have the space and temperament to let this plant go, please do. Conoclinium coelestinum is a plant that looks its best when allowed to naturalize. Cut it back in mid summer to keep it looking bushy and beautiful, and then let it do its beautiful thing. (go here for more on this wildflower)

Butterflies, skippers and bees are drawn to the nectar-rich flowers, while birds eat the seeds. If you want more, and once you see it massed you will, it's easily propagated from seeds or divisions. It can spread quickly if happy, but is pulled out just as easily. It grows in any soil except extremely dry. If you want easy care this is a great wildflower.

Thanks so much for stopping by to help me celebrate a few of my favorite boundary challenging native wildflowers! I've used words like colonizing, aggressive, thuggish, assertive, highly competitive, naturalizing, rhizome spread, and rough and tumble to describe them. But, don't let that scare you, colonizing plants make good garden friends.

Trust me, I'm a gardener!
xoxogail

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 they are in bloom or not, and, it doesn't matter if we all share the same plants. It's all about celebrating wildflowers. Please leave a comment when you add your url to Mr Linky.



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.

Wildflower Wednesday: Plant More Natives

Salvia azurea

You won't regret it~Especially, if you choose carefully among the many plants offered  on the Internet and at local nurseries.

Rudbeckia fulgida var fulgida

More are available ~I saw rudbeckias, coreopsis cultivars, gaura, ex-asters, salvias,  agastaches and rhododendrons for sale this morning when I ran to the local big box store for  fence posts.

Keep in mind that even if they are native to where you garden~They might not grow in your garden.

A garden filled with former asters~symphyotrichum and eurybia, Goldenrods/solidagos and Mistflower/conoclinium

Or, they might grow too well.

Physostegia virgiana

Thus, getting erroneously named~invasive.   

a native ex-aster and Chasmanthium latifolium

 It's true,  many natives can be thuggish, aggressive or colonizing.  But,  please don't use invasive to describe their behavior. I like to save that powerful word for exotics that are on the state noxious and invasive species  list.   Instead,  I refer to them as colonizers, aggressive natives or just plain thugs. 

If you garden on a difficult spot like I do,  then aggressive native plants are not a problem.  They are welcome.  In fact, they are my fall garden workhorses.  They're essential to my garden and being  rough and tumble wildflowers means they're  unfazed by shallow clay soil.   They bloom until a killing frost and  they attract  bumbles,  butterflies and other critters to the garden. They also make me happy. What more could you ask for in a garden plant. 

So, plant more natives~They really do make sense.  In case,  I haven't convinced you consider this: native plants are adapted to our unique garden climate; they're less susceptible to pests and disease; we generally don't have to greatly modify the soil characteristics; and,   they provide  beauty for humans and food and shelter for  visiting  butterflies, bees and other pollinators.

Symphyotrichum paten

But, if you garden on rich, deep soil, colonizing native plants, like woodland asters,  False Dragonhead, Goldenrods, Mistflower and River Oats  might not be what you want to invite into the garden.  Remember, they spread by, seed,  roots and rhizomes to make a large and dramatic impact.   

Trust me there are many native plants that are not thugs~You might want to consider planting a sweet native like Salvia azurea.  It occasionally reseeds but isn't a thug by any stretch of the imagination.


So go ahead, plant more natives, just be sure to research what makes sense in your garden.

xxoogail

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 and, it doesn't matter if we all share the same plants. It's all about celebrating wildflowers. Please leave a comment when you add your url to Mr Linky.

It's Rough and Tumble Wildflower Time

Symphyotrichum novae-angliae 'Pink' formerly known as an  Aster

I love Spring and its gentle pinks and blues, but, give me this time of year with the intense yellow of goldenrod,  the brilliant pinks of ex-asters and the lilac-blues of mistflower  against the  Autumn blue sky.

Spiders are probably  laying  in wait for unsuspecting visitors.

These late summer blooms with their intense, rich colors are a treat for the senses.

But, they are so much more than pretty faces.  Each one of these darlings provides more pollen and nectar  return on investment than many other flowers combined.  My rough and tumble native  asteraceae are landing pads of deliciousness for butterflies, bees, wasps and moths.

There's that crab spider with its unsuspecting victim

 They're magnets for all kinds of insects; including some that are themselves food for  spiders, birds and other insect eating critters. It's a bug eat bug world in a garden.

Eupatorium coelestinum landing pads of deliciousness for visiting critters

 These beauties  are nectar and pollen sources for late visiting bees and butterflies, but also are known host plants for many moths and butterflies.   The caterpillars of  Pearl Crescent and checkerspot butterflies feed on Symphyotrichum novae-angliae; about ten different  moths and butterflies  rely on the foliage of Goldenrod; although, Mistflower is primarily a nectar source~it's foliage is eaten by several moth and butterfly cats.

Goldenrod  even provides shelter for the curious little Goldenrod Gall Fly that makes  this gall its home.

My love affair with native plants has been going on for so long that they seem more beautiful to me then many classic garden flowers. I love these rough and tumble, take care of themselves wildflowers. Part of their charm is their  good wildlife value.  But, their larger charm is that they are absolutely perfect for Clay and Limestone! 

Nothing stops them from blooming and nothing makes me happier then seeing them in my garden each September.


xxoogail

Ps I've been away visiting my son who successfully defended his dissertation then I got sick.  Never fly with a head cold, it only makes it worse.