Showy Goldenrod is a herbaceous perennial that grows to 4 feet. As the common name suggests, this is one of the most showy goldenrods. It has upright stems that host foot-long rods of golden yellow flowers in the early fall. Showy goldenrod tolerates drought and clay soil well and will naturalize in a landscape. It provides great contrast to a garden in the late summer to early fall. Removing spent flower clusters encourages more bloom. Goldenrods have been wrongfully accused of causing hay fever, which is actually an allergic reaction to wind-borne pollen from other plants such as ragweed. Fire Risk: This plant has a medium flammability rating. Seasons of Interest: Bloom: Fall; Fruit/Seed/Nut: Fall Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: No serious insect or disease problems. Rust, powdery mildew, and leaf spot may occur. The plant may need to be divided every 2 years to manage size. This plant may be confused with: Any other goldenrod speices Solidago spp. VIDEO: Part of the Native Plant Picks series from the North Carolina Sea Grant led Coastal Landscapes Initiative . More information on Solidago .
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist | Occasionally Dry
Available space
3 feet-6 feet
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 2 ft. 0 in. - 7 ft. 0 in. | Width: 2 ft. 0 in. - 3 ft. 0 in.
Maintenance
Medium
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous (3-15 ft)
Form & Appearance
Foliage
Deciduous
Leaf shape
Elliptical
Leaf margin
Dentate
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
4 to 10 in. elliptical, lightly toothed leaves; upper leaves are narrow smaller and unstalked, they are attached to reddish stems
Flower color
Gold/Yellow
Flower value
Showy
Flower detail
Dense pyramidal or club-shaped terminal cluster of small yellow flower heads. Blooms from August to October.
Bloom time
Fall; Summer
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Native
Origin
Eastern United States
Wildlife value
This plant supports Wavy-lined Emerald (Synchlora aerata) larvae. Flowers are attractive to butterflies, bees, and other pollinators. Songbirds eat the seeds. Members of the genus Solidago support the following specialized bees: Andrena (Callandrena s.l.) asteris, Andrena (Callandrena s.l.) braccata, Andrena (Cnemidandrena) canadensis, Andrena (Cnemidandrena) hirticincta, Andrena (Cnemidandrena) nubecula, Andrena (Callandrena s.l.) simplex, Perdita (Perdita) octomaculata, Melissodes (Eumelissodes) fumosus, Colletes simulans, and Colletes solidaginis.