Tag: gardening in Durham

Plant Goldenrod for Outstanding Fall Color

On By durhammastergardenersIn bees, beneficial insects, birds, drought tolerant plants, Gardening information, gardening NC, goldenrod, landscaping for wildlife, native plants, Natives, NC Native Plants, Perennial, pollinators, Uncategorized, urban prairie garden, wildflowers, wildlife

By Melinda Heigel, NC State Extension Master GardenerSM volunteer of Durham County

Goldenrod lights up the fall garden as summer blooms fade. This plant offers a lot more than just its pretty flowers; goldenrod also supports beneficial insects and birds late in the season. (Image credit: Melinda Heigel)

Want outstanding fall color? Plant goldenrod. Nothing says fall is coming quite like the vibrant yellow hues of the this plant (Solidago spp.). In central North Carolina this perennial wildflower typically begins to appear in late summer and is a harbinger of brilliant trees ablaze, mums, and, of course, pumpkin-spice everything. You can often spot this North American native growing high and unruly by roadsides and in all sorts of wild areas. But there are ways to incorporate this beneficial plant into your home landscape.

Biology

Goldenrod is the common name for the biologically diverse Solidago genus. Currently, there are over 120 documented species, both natives and cultivars, of this stunning bloomer. According to Clemson University, botanists still have a lot to discover about this plant because some of the species exhibit polyploidy (or having more than two copies of each chromosome). This feature makes for incredibly diverse traits in species: taller, shorter, some that prefer moisture, some that like drier soils, sun, part sun, and even flower characteristics and bloom time.1

Benefits of Goldenrod

Hardy

Aside from its beauty, goldenrod has a lot of great characteristics. Overall, this plant is easy to grow and tough. Most species do well in a wide range of soil types, are heat-tolerant, water-wise, and even tolerate drought once established. Goldenrod offers a long and prolific bloom time and can benefit from regular deadheading during the growing season.

Its resilience is famous, and gardeners know that this plant can thrive and naturalize easily in the landscape (read as some healthy “management” may be necessary to divide the plant every few years to control its spread) if you plant a weedy type. Goldenrod spreads by rhizomes and wind-blown seeds. Below, we’ll address some less assertive types that can offer great alternatives in a smaller home garden. And, finally, goldenrod is deer resistant and has no serious disease or insect problems.

Wild-life Friendly

Goldenrod draws pollinators into the garden. (Left to right) Two spider wasps on goldenrod and an unknown bee species feasting on Solidago juncea’s nectar. (Image credits: Eric Benson, Clemson University Extension, 2020; Fritz Flohr Reynolds CC BY-SA 3.0)

With the growing awareness of the role pollinators play in our ecosystem and the immense survival pressure they face, more gardeners are planting pollinator-friendly plants.  Goldenrod certainly falls into this category. Many of the species produce enticing and beneficial nectar for a host of bees, wasps, flies, moths, and beetles. It is also a host plant for the wavy-lined emerald moth (Synchlora aerata). Given the bloom time, ranging from June through October, these plants provide needed late-season sustenance. They also support more butterflies and moths than any other plant in its category.  Over 115 species of Lepidoptera (the order of insects that includes butterflies and moths) larvae rely on the plants’ leaves and shoots for food. After the blooms fade at the end of the season, birds eat goldenrod’s dried seeds while native bees nest in their hollow stems for the winter. Hands down, this plant has a positive impact on wildlife in your landscape.

Characteristics of Goldenrod

As highlighted above, there are a lot of variables within the Solidago species. It’s best to do a little research on the type of plant you are buying based on the specific characteristics you seek for your garden. However, all goldenrods are herbaceous perennial plants that generally bloom between June and October. While they range in height, habit, and environmental preferences, most prefer sunny conditions.  They have a clumping, tall, or climbing habit and produce showy blooms of tiny golden flower heads in tight, dense clusters on a long stem.2 Not generally picky about soil make up, most goldenrods do prefer well-drained environments. And these plants have a wide range of growth, spanning USDA Plant Hardiness Zones 2a-8b.

From a design perspective, they provide great color and texture in the landscape late into autumn after many summer flowers are spent. Depending on the species or cultivar you choose, they work well either as a back-of-the-border or front-of-the-border plant. Their free-flowing form looks great in a meadow, natural area, or cottage garden. And of course, they are right at home in pollinator and butterfly gardens.

Recommended Types of Goldenrod

As the term wildflower might suggest, some goldenrods can get weedy and a bit unruly in the home landscape.  This plant can naturalize (spread with abandon) as it propagates by wind-strewn seeds or by underground rhizomes, so some are best left in a meadow, prairie, or woodland setting. But with so many to choose from, including ornamental and hybrids well suited to smaller spaces, there is something for every garden.

Wondering what species or cultivars might be right for your yard? The Tufts Pollinator Initiative, a group of scientists who are dedicated to pollinator conservation, has done some of the homework for gardeners.  They composed the informative table below highlighting many characteristics like preferred conditions, bloom time, height, and growth habits of Solidago widely available in the garden trade.3

Solidago sphacelata
Solidago caesia
Solidago rugosa ‘Fireworks’
Solidago speciosa
Solidago juncea

(Left to right, top to bottom) Examples of goldenrods with clumping habits that translate well to the home landscape: autumn goldenrod (S. sphacelata); blue-stemmed goldenrod (Solidago caesia); wrinkle leaf goldenrod (S. rugosa ‘Fireworks’); showy goldenrod (S. speciosa); and early goldenrod (S. juncea). (Image credits: Tom Potterfield CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 ; Scott Detwiler CC BY-SA 3.0; F. D. Richards CC-BY-SA 2.0; Dan Mullen CC BY-NC-ND 2.0; Dan Mullen CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)

Extend the season of colorful blooms in your landscape with goldenrod–an ecologically sound choice for any garden.

Notes

1–https://hgic.clemson.edu/native-notes-goldenrod/.

2–Interestingly there is a goldenrod whose flowers are creamy-white instead of yellow–the silver-rod goldenrod (Solidago bicolor).

3–https://sites.tufts.edu/pollinators/blog/

Resources and Additional Information

For general information on goldenrod, check out North Carolina State University’s Plant Toolbox site. There are also additional links to various species of the plant.

https://plants.ced.ncsu.edu/plants/solidago

Often people, unfortunately, mistake goldenrod for the allergy-inducing ragweed (Ambrosia spp.). Read Clemson Cooperative Extension’s informative fact sheet which outlines how these two plants share little other than bloom time.

Goldenrod & Ragweed

To see more images and suggestions for home-garden goldenrods, view Sea Grant’s video on these native plants.

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Plant Detective: Investigating the Intriguing Jerusalem Sage Plant

On By durhammastergardenersIn drought tolerant plants, garden design, sustainability, sustainable gardening, water wise plants

By Melinda Heigel, NC State Extension Master GardenerSM volunteer of Durham County

This is the second installment in an ongoing series called Plant Detective, where we uncover science-based information on strange and mysterious sightings in the plant world.

Details of the flower and stem of the mystery plant I recently discovered on a walk with dogs Baby and Cole, assistant plant detectives. While it looked like a cross between a bee balm and lamb’s ear, it was something I’d never seen before! (Image credit: Stan Shebs CC BY-SA 3.0; Linda De Volder CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

On one of our daily dog walks, I recently stumbled across a plant I simply could not identify. It was a gorgeous mounded shrub with fuzzy, soft, gray-green leaves–the kind you just have to touch–and a lot like the lamb’s ear (Stachys byzantina) or the garden sage we all know. Graceful arching stems sported multiple flower clusters along each stem, much like snapdragons (Antirrhinum majus). And the vivid yellow flowers encircling the stem looked like a silly court jester’s hat. In a more appropriate botanical reference, they appeared similar to the bee balm flower (Mondara spp.). What was this cool plant? An online search of the NC Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox turned up a positive ID: Jerusalem sage (Phlomis fruticosa).

Characteristics and Growing Conditions for Jerusalem Sage

(Left to right) The large stand of Jerusalem sage I encountered was nearly 5 feet tall and 5 feet wide and acted as a small hedge for the homeowner’s landscape. Once the flowers drop, textural seed heads continue to provide visual interest. Deadheading the plant can encourage longer bloom time. Seed heads eventually turn brown and can be a food source for birds in the fall. (Image credit: Melinda Heigel)

A member of the mint family (Lamiaceae), Jerusalem sage is native to arid yet temperate Mediterranean regions like Greece, Italy, Cyprus, and Albania. It is also naturalized in southwest England and parts of California. This plant has a mounding habit and can function like a shrub or subshrub. Depending on the variety, it can grow up to 4 feet wide and 5 feet tall. Silvery-green velvety leaves are around 5 inches long and have a pleasant scent. Tall vertical stems rise from the plant and support whorled flowers repeating along its arches. And while the 2-to-3-inch flowers have no scent, they are spiky and eye-catching. The plant I stumbled across had a brilliant yellow flower. Other species of Phlomis have a soft pink bloom.1

You can see why the plant’s common name includes the word “sage.” Its soft velvety leaves resemble that of our edible herb garden sage (Salvia officinalis) and other ornamental Salvia plants, even though they are not related. (Image credit: Melinda Heigel)

While these plants have the reputation of being fairly adaptable in many soils, well-drained soils are are a must. This perennial prefers full sun and can perform in part sun; planting it in shade will often result in a leggy plant short on its spectacular spring and summer blooms. In our region of central NC (Zone 8), Jerusalem sage is evergreen; in Zones 5-7, it’s deciduous.

Jerusalem sage has a long list of positive attributes. Overall, this plant is low maintenance and resilient. While weeks of drought like we’ve recently experienced might call for some supplemental watering, it needs little extra irrigation once established. It is heat tolerant and prefers leaner soil (read no fertilizing). It grows quickly but generally is a well-behaved inhabitant in the garden, only requiring you to prune to maintain shape and lightly in late winter before spring growth commences. If you are willing to do the work, deadheading spent flowers in the spring means you will enjoy additional flowering, thus extending the bloom cycle throughout the summer.

With only leafhooper insects as a potential threat, Jerusalem sage has no serious pests or pathogens. Here’s a big bonus–this plant is both deer and rabbit resistant, and its flowers are attractive to bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. Spent seed heads can also provide food for songbirds.

How to Use Jerusalem Sage in the Landscape

This plant can wear many hats in the garden. It’s suitable for containers or as a stunning specimen plant. Planted en masse, it could make a great year round statement. As in the landscape where I first saw it, it can serve as part of a mixed screen planting bordering a yard. Given its height, it’s probably best as a “back of the border” plant in a mixed bed.

In terms of garden design, I can see this versatile plant looking right at home in a cottage-style garden of glorious native perennials like purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea), sunflowers (Helianthus spp.), butterfly milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa), and scaly blazing-star (Liatrus spicata). Equally, I can see it as a stunner alongside other water-wise plants in a xeriscape of agave, yucca, and cacti like our native eastern prickly pear (Opuntia humifusa).

I hope you’ve discovered a new plant right alongside me this week. Given the challenging environmental changes we continue to see, I am planning on giving this easy-to-grow and drought-resistant plant a try. And while I haven’t seen Jerusalem sage at local nurseries yet, I found many online resources where the plant is readily available.

As always, keep an eye out next time you are walking. Who knows what intriguing things you might see! With late summer and fall or the horizon, what plant mystery will we solve next?

Notes

1–The genus Pholmis has many varied species, so make sure to research thoroughly those other than the Phlomis fruticosa discussed here. Required growing conditions will vary per species.

2–Xeriscaping is type of landscape design that keeps water conservation in mind and requires minimal supplemental water once plants are established.

Resources and Additional Information

For more on Jerusalem sage, see NC Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox.

https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/phlomis-fruticosa

For more information on water-wise landscape design, check out NC Department of Environmental Quality’s site on xeriscaping.

https://www.deq.nc.gov/environmental-assistance-and-customer-service/nc-green-travel-documents/xeriscape/download

For more on native and non-native drought-resistant plants, see NC Botanical Garden’s plant list as well as our former blog post “Ten Plants That Can Take the Heat.”

Gardening for a Drought: North Carolina Native Plants to the Rescue

https://durhammastergardeners.com/2022/05/18/ten-plants-that-can-take-the-heat/

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Assistant plant detectives Baby and Cole are always on the case. (Image credit: Melinda Heigel)