Goldenrod: It Doesn’t Make You Sneeze

Goldenrod (Solidago) has gotten a bad rap. It’s been thrown into the same bin with ragweed, a rampant plant that keeps a much lower profile. I wonder if part of the confusion stems from ragweed’s botanical name, which is Ambrosia, the same term used to mean “food of the gods.” Go figure. A more likely cause for its reputation as a major sneeze-inducer is that it’s the most visible candidate during the same time ragweed is spewing its pollen. Both plants are native to North America, and therefore can be found in just about any field come September. Guess which one is more visible, and therefore, gets fingered for respiratory unrest.

I love Solidago for its prowess as a cut flower. Its gracefully bright presence in an otherwise colorless scheme, and its easy-care nature. The variety I’ve enjoyed the most is called ‘Fireworks’, an upright grower with stems that curve downward for a fireworks look. The only warning I’d offer for planting goldenrod in your garden is that it spreads quickly.

Marigolds? Really?

It’s amazing what you will find in all of those catalogs that come around Christmas. The ones that offer seeds, bulbs, perennials, and all sorts of unusual plants. I was intrigued by a Marigold I’d never heard of called ‘Cinnabar’ (more correctly Tagetes erecta ‘Cinnabar’). Its common name is Cinnabar African Marigold, but it’s no big-headed, look-at-me lollipop flower. It won’t get lost in the garden, though. That’s because its stems grow two to three feet tall.

‘Cinnabar’ is one of those plants they call “see-through,” its stems thinly-clothed in finely dissected foliage that allows a plant behind it to show through. Its flowers, about the size of a quarter, are a spicy deep red with a gold center, and seem to float in the air. It looks especially good with Salvia, Solidago, and any of the mums and asters. And it’s just as easy as any marigold to start from seed.