I’m relieved that my mystery plant was not a giant weed. In late spring I bought a goldenrod (Solidago) plant that I thought was ‘Golden Baby’. I already have several of them growing in different flowerbeds, and I like them because they are carefree and very winter-hardy.
In early July it became obvious that my purchase was not ‘Golden Baby’ and in fact the leaves didn’t even look much like a goldenrod. For weeks I fought the urge to pull the stranger out by its roots. When my other goldenrods started blooming in late July, this plant was still as green as grass. A month or so later all the other goldenrods had finished blooming and this mystery plants was STILL just biding its time.
I was comforted by the fact that it grew in a respectable clump and didn’t get freakishly-tall like weeds tend to do.
The plant finally started blooming in early September, and I was relieved to see it was indeed a goldenrod. At first I thought it might be the native species goldenrod, but now I’m fairly certain my mystery plant is ‘Fireworks’ which blooms in September and October.
I’m trying to provide more flowers for pollinators by adding more early-spring and late-fall plants to my flowerbeds. Right now ‘Fireworks’ is crawling with bees and butterflies scrambling to collect nectar before the first frost.
‘Fireworks’ grows 3 to 4 feet tall in a nice sturdy clump. The plant prefers growing in well-drained soil in full sun to partial-shade. ‘Fireworks’ blooms in September into October and is hardy in Zones 4-9. The flowers pair well with fall asters that bloom at the same time.