Admire nature’s gift… Goldenrod | News, Sports, Vacancies

During the seasonal drive to enjoy the views of nature, the roadsides were painted purple and yellow. This was a sign that we were about to fall. It was a beautiful sight and a welcome spot for many pollinators.

This was especially true this year due to the drought situation. The yellow flowering plant is the great and mighty goldenrod. It’s a pollinator’s dream, and the best part is, it doesn’t make us sneeze.

About 28 species of goldenrod (Solidago altissima) grow in abundance in uncut meadows and fields and bloom until mid-October.

During this time, pollinators are busy preparing for the upcoming winter months, and goldenrod plays an important role in the nutrition and survival of native pollinators.

Unfortunately, this perennial plant has been misunderstood and labeled an allergen. Because the pollen is heavy and sticky, bees are required for pollination. At the same time, our allergenic enemy, ragweed (Ambrosia artemislifolia), is blooming.

Because they bloom at the same time and goldenrod is easily identified visually, it gets a bad rap. Ragweed grows up to 5 feet tall and has green flower heads containing billions of yellow pollen, which causes hay fever in a large portion of the population.

Ragweed plants disperse their seeds by wind. It is these types of plants that can cause allergic reactions.

A native perennial, goldenrod requires full sun and has simple, toothed, alternate leaves about 3 to 4 inches long with clustered, bilaterally symmetrical yellow flowers.

These flowers, which ripen in the fall, dry out and turn brown and die in the winter, producing seeds for birds, while the roots remain dormant until spring.

The remaining round stems can become a place where bees often hide to spend the winter months.

This is the most important reason why plant stems should not be cut to the ground in the fall.

Additionally, if the stems are left over the winter, gall-forming insects will lay eggs in the plant stems that emerge in the spring, which helps our beneficial insects.

Most parts of goldenrod can be used for medicinal purposes. Its generic name Solidago means “to make whole.”

Historically, Native Americans believed that it helped with respiratory conditions and was also used as a diuretic, as well as helping with diabetes and tuberculosis. Goldenrod was also used as a dye for clothing.

Years ago, some readers may remember Ewell Gibbons on television, an outdoor enthusiast and healthy eating advocate promoting the relaxation and stress-relieving benefits of goldenrod tea leaves, but this is not a recommendation.

There are many types of goldenrod plume, such as pointed, branched, club-shaped, rod-shaped, flat-topped and others. It looks impressive in gardens, but requires struggle due to reseeding and rhizomes – underground roots.

The Chicago Botanic Garden compared the productivity of 25 species of hybrids. They found that the best goldenrod performers were “Baby Sun”, “Goldkind” and “Golden Fleece”; however, “Fireworks” turned out to be the most effective.

Productivity was determined by disease resistance, clumpiness, height and abundant flowering. The discovery of many new varieties continues.

Planting native goldenrod in gardens provides vibrant color from late summer through fall. It also provides nectar to insects and eventually seeds to many birds during the winter months.

Photos and more information about all the possible goldenrod plants can be found at http://go.osu.edu/goldenrod.

Kane Shipka is a volunteer master gardener at The Ohio State University in Mahoning County.