Solidago species have long been dismissed as garden subjects due to the misconception that they caused hay fever. This myth was in fact a carefully orchestrated smear campaign funded by the real culprit, The National Ragweed Association. Luckily, the Anti-Goldenrod Defamation League is on the case to try and get more people to buy solidago.
Read More About Solidago
There are both good and bad goldenrods. Our native Solidago canadensis has been declared a noxious weed in many countries for its aggressive running habit. Other native solidago species (S. rugosa, S. stricta and others) are much better behaved and have been hybridized in Europe for decades for the cut flower market. We offer several goldenrods for sale that we have found to make superb, drought-tolerant, easy-to-grow, non-aggressive perennial wildflowers and butterfly / hummingbird attractants.
Solidago 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. When you are ready to buy goldenrod for your garden, check out our list of goldenrod for sale below.
Since 1988, Plant Delights Nursery has been the choice of serious gardeners and plant collectors looking for the best and rarest perennial plants. We are pleased to have received the Perennial Plant Association Retail Award in 2011, the American Horticulture Society Commercial Award in 2002, and to have been selected as one of the Best Mail Order Plant Sources - Garden Design Magazine 2010. Welcome to our family of plant lovers!
This 1993 introduction from Ken Moore of the NC Botanical Garden in Chapel Hill was originally selected from an NC Coastal Plain population of Solidago rugosa. Despite its southern heritage, Solidago rugosa 'Fireworks' was rated #1 in the goldenrod trials at the Chicago Botanic Garden. 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! Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
We are thrilled to offer this fantastic cultivar of the Southeast native rough goldenrod, selected by the late Texas plantsman, Lynn Lowrey. Solidago 'Lynn Lowrey' could best be described as a Solidago 'Fireworks' on steroids. The 4' tall x 4' wide, upright clump is clothed with dark green leaves and topped in October with fireworks-like flower spikes of golden yellow...a delight to hummingbirds. Thanks to our friends at Yucca Do for sharing this gem. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
Solidago 'Solar Cascade' is a selection of the federally endangered Solidago shortii...a native only to a few small populations in Indiana and adjacent Kentucky. Solidago shortii is similar to Solidago rugosa with short rhizomes compared to more aggressive spreading species. In the wild it is found on alkaline clay slopes, but is well adapted to most garden conditions. The 30" tall stalks are topped from late August through October with showy panicles of gold...a hummingbird treat. If you enjoy rare natives like this, please contribute to your state's efforts to preserve natural rare plant habitats while you rail against ridiculous federal laws that limit their propagation and sale. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
Dr. 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 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 are now just over 3' wide...very easy to grow and wonderfully drought-tolerant. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
This great US native is a garden designer's dream. Wand goldenrod is native from Maryland to Texas, where it occurs in sandy pine barrens as well as wet meadows. The cool thing about Solidago stricta is when it starts to expand from its winter basal rosette, the leaves along the flowering stem are tightly adpressed (disguised by laying flat against the stem). These stems expand all 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 delight to hummingbirds. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
This Midwest native is found at home on alkaline rock cliffs and ledges in the Ozark Mountain region. Unfortunately, some idiot taxonomist who sniffed too much herbarium dust has lumped it in with the Southeast native Solidago rugosa, which is a completely different plant. This tight clump-former makes a 18" tall x 3' wide ball of arching stems, covered in September with sprays of golden-yellow flowers. The habit, growability, and disease-resistance are superb on this great native...meet it today. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
