Solidago caesia (Wreath Goldenrod)

Size: 1-4’ tall / 1.5-3’ wide

Sun: Full Sun - Part Shade

Soil: Average-Dry, Well-Drained

Bloom Time: Late Summer - Fall

Deer Resistance: 3/5

Ecotype: Virginia

Solidago is a large, often misunderstood genus consisting of more than 100 species that are native to North America. With so many individual species, it should be clear that not all goldenrods are the same! Some are aggressive spreaders that colonize by sending out thick rhizomes in every direction, perfect for stabilizing large, recently-disturbed areas; others are more clump-forming, well-behaved, and play nicely with other perennials in a garden setting. Regardless of the species, two things are true:

1. They do not cause allergies. The flowers are insect-pollinated, whereas the pollen that causes allergies originates from plants that are wind-pollinated, like Ragweeds (Ambrosia spp.). 

2.  They are a keystone species. They serve as a larval host plant for more than 125 butterfly and moth species, and the flowers are a crucial late-season food source for all pollinators. No pollinator garden is truly complete without at least one species of goldenrod. 

While many goldenrods can be found in sunny fields, Wreath Goldenrod is happy growing in the shade of the woods. It is a loose clump-forming species of goldenrod that behaves well in a garden setting. It gets its common name from the arching habit of its stems and the relatively small inflorescences that emerge along the stem, just above each set of leaves. While happy in shadier conditions, it is adaptable to sunnier sites as well. This is a great choice for difficult dry shade areas.