Plant Type

Perennial

 

Height Range

1-3'

 

Flower Color

Yellow

 

Flower Season

Summer, Fall

 

Leaf Color

Green

 

Bark Color

n/a

 

Fruit Color

n/a

 

Fruit Season

n/a

Sun

Full, Half

 

Water

Low, Medium

 

Growth Rate

Fast, Moderate

 

Soil Type

Sandy, Clay, Loam

 

Soil Condition

Average, Rich, Well-drained, Dry

 

Soil pH

Neutral

 

Adverse Factors

n/a

Design Styles

English Cottage, Formal, Japanese, Meadow, Ranch

 

Accenting Features

Showy Flowers

 

Seasonal Interest

Summer, Fall

 

Location Uses

Background, Shrub Border, Walls / Fences

 

Special Uses

Cut Flowers, Erosion Control, Mass Planting, Naturalizing

 

Attracts Wildlife

Butterflies

Blue-stemmed goldenrod is a mid-west native found in woodland areas. It grows about 30 to 36 inches tall on arching, wiry, greenish-purple stems which are covered with a silvery-white waxy bloom that can be rubbed off. Tiny, bright yellow, daisy-like flowers appear in a series of loose clusters in the leaf axils along the length of the stems, with the terminal clusters being the largest. Blooms in late summer to fall, making them a wonderful companion to ornamental grasses. Lance-shaped, medium green leaves are toothed, tapered and sharply pointed. Attractive to bees and butterflies.

Grow in average, dry to medium, well-drained soils in full sun to part shade. A woodland species that tolerates poor, dry soils and light shade, but performs best in full sun. Will grow in clay soils. This species is primarily clump-forming and does not spread aggressively as do some of the other goldenrod species and hybrids. 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.