← Bedfellow

Tall Goldenrod

Solidago altissima

Tall goldenrod is the billowing goldenrod of old fields and roadsides, a critical late-season nectar and pollen source for migrating monarchs and native bees. Vigorous and rhizomatous — give it room or a wild meadow. Young leaves and stems are cooked, the seed has served as a last-resort survival food, and the flowers and leaves brew into a tea.

Family

Asteraceae

Type

wildflower

Lifespan

perennial

Height

5–5 ft

Spacing

2–4 ft apart

Light

sun, part shade

Soil moisture

moist

Soil pH

acidic, neutral

Bloom

August, September, October, November

Bloom colors

yellow

Wildlife value

songbirds, butterflies, pollinators, larval host

Caterpillar hosts

~125 butterfly & moth species

Landscape uses

border

Native states

AL, AR, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, MT, ND, NE, NH, NJ, NM, NY, OH, OK, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, WI, WV, WY