Solidago

Goldenrods are useful late flowering aster relatives, good as cut flowers if picked before too many individual flowers have opened. They are tolerant of a wide range of conditions but prefer a moisture retentive soil ideally in the sun. Individual plants are extremely long lived although division every so often is advisable to maintain vigour and reduce mildew infection.

A large genus, most to be found in North America, Solidago has been described as the most important genus in its native continent for supporting pollinator diversity. The flowerheads may be small, constituting just a few individual flowers, but each flower produces nectar and pollen, and overall the flowerheads are in such provision that they are crucial in a garden for feeding bumblebees, honeybees, hoverflies, wasps and whole lot more. Half a dozen species of goldenrod have become established in the wild in Britain and Ireland, particularly in waterside habitats, and often growing so densely that they exclude native vegetation: all steps should be taken to limit the escape from gardens.