Late Goldenrod

Year-round

Tall goldenrod is a tough, sun loving perennial that already grows wild across Arkansas, including the Ouachita Mountains area around Hot Springs. It is easy to grow but it spreads by underground roots, so give it room from the start.

• Plant in full sun to partial sun in well drained soil. It tolerates the rocky, clay heavy soil common in the Ouachita Mountains foothills around Hot Springs without soil amendments.
• It handles dry spells once established and does not need regular fertilizing.
• The roots spread by rhizomes and can form a dense colony within a few years. Give it a spot where a colony is welcome, or plan to divide it every 2 to 3 years to keep its footprint in check.
• Flowers show up from August into November, later in the season than most garden perennials.

This plant spreads by root and can take over a bed within a couple of seasons. Edging the planting area or dividing it on a regular schedule keeps it looking tended from the street.

Fall

Fall is when tall goldenrod puts on its main show, with bright yellow flower clusters from August into November. It is a major late season food source for bees, butterflies, and other pollinators heading into the cooler months.

• Let it bloom. The flowers from August through November are heavily used by bees, butterflies, and beetles right up until the area's average first freeze, which lands in the last week of October to early November.
• Deadhead spent flower clusters before they go to seed if you want to slow how far it spreads by seed into other parts of the yard. This does not stop the underground rhizome spread, only the seeding.
• Do not cut the plant back hard in fall. Leaving the seed heads and stems standing through the season gives insects food and shelter as it gets colder.
• If the colony is bigger than wanted, mark its edges now while it is easy to see the full spread, so it is simple to dig out strays in spring.

The bright yellow bloom is the showiest part of the year and reads as an intentional wildflower planting rather than an untended lot, especially with a mowed or edged border around the bed.

Winter

Tall goldenrod dies back to the ground for winter in the Hot Springs area. The dried stems and seed heads left standing give shelter to insects through the cold months.

• Leave the dead stems standing over winter rather than cutting them to the ground. Hollow or pithy stems shelter overwintering native bees and other insects until spring cleanup.
• No watering or fertilizing is needed while the plant is dormant. Hot Springs sits in USDA hardiness zone 8a, and this species tolerates winter lows well beyond that range.
• If the bare winter stems bother a front yard view, cut them down to about 12 to 24 inches instead of removing them completely. This keeps some shelter value while looking tidier.
• Take note of where rhizomes spread over the growing season. With the leaves gone, it is easier to see the true edge of the colony, which makes it a good time to plan where to edge or divide once spring arrives.

Standing dry stems can read as unkempt to a neighbor used to a fully mowed-down winter bed. Cutting stems to a uniform 12 to 24 inches instead of leaving the full height keeps the look tidy while still leaving shelter.

Spring

Spring is when new shoots come up from last year's roots. Around Hot Springs the last frost usually lands in March or into April, so early growth can get nipped by a late cold snap but it typically recovers on its own.

• Cut back any dead stems left standing from winter to about 12 to 24 inches before new growth gets tall. Leave some hollow or pithy stems in place if possible, since native bees may still be nesting inside them.
• Watch for new shoots (small rhizome offshoots) coming up around the base plant, and dig out any that stray past the area you want the colony to stay in.
• No fertilizer is needed. If the soil is rocky or compacted, working a little compost into the planting area in early spring helps new shoots establish.
• Divide overcrowded clumps in spring if the colony has spread further than wanted, roughly every 2 to 3 years.

Early in the season the bed can look bare or twiggy while old stems are cut back. A tidy edge along the front of the bed keeps the look intentional.

Summer

Through the hot, humid Hot Springs summer, tall goldenrod mostly grows taller and spreads underground. It is drought tolerant once established, so it needs little extra water even in a dry August.

• Water only during extended dry spells. Established plants handle the area's humid but sometimes dry summer stretches without regular watering.
• Watch the edges of the colony through summer. Rhizomes keep spreading underground in the heat and can pop up several feet from the original planting.
• The plant can reach 2 to 6 feet tall by late summer. If it starts flopping into a walkway or lawn, cutting the stems back by about a third in early summer keeps a shorter, sturdier plant, though it may bloom a little later as a result.
• Skip fertilizer. Extra feeding tends to make the stems grow taller and more likely to flop rather than making the plant healthier.