Zigzag goldenrod
Solidago flexicaulis ·
Broad, toothed leaves on stems that bend at each joint, with small clusters of yellow flowers where the leaves meet the stem. It grows and flowers in full shade.
- Size
- 3 ft tall, 2½ ft wide
- Zones
- 3 to 8
- Light
- Part sun to shade
- Flowers
- Mid August to late September
- Pets
- Not checked
- Job in a bed
- Drift
A bed built around zigzag goldenrod
The planner designed this bed around zigzag goldenrod when this page was made: a 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) English border in zone 6, part shade. It chose the other plants from the 513 that suit those conditions, and says below why zigzag goldenrod stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Zigzag goldenrod × 3, yellow
- 2 Lingonberry × 5, pink
- 3 Blue star creeper × 8, blue
- 4 Japanese meadowsweet × 3, pink
- 5 Bleeding heart 'Gold Heart' × 1, pink
- 6 Bowles' golden sedge × 3, chartreuse leaves
- 7 Snowdrop × 12, white
- 8 Grecian windflower × 12, blue
Why this plant
- The only dense clusters. The others are bells, plumes and daisies. Shape reads at a distance, where colours blur.
- The only yellow. The one hot colour: every other flower here is cool or neutral.
- The only medium leaves here. The rest are fine and bold. A change of leaf keeps plants distinct when nothing is in flower.
Why here
- Anchors a back corner. At 3 ft it is one of the taller plants here, and the tallest close the ends of the bed, where they stand in front of nothing.
- A step in the back row. Next to bleeding heart 'Gold Heart' (2½ ft): no two neighbours there are the same height, so the back steps up and down like a skyline.
- 3 plants in one group. Massed, one kind reads as a single shape. Scattered, it would look spotty.
Why now
- In flower for 7 weeks. From mid August to late September.
- Closes the season. In all that time nothing else on the plan is in flower.
Planned as an English border: 5 of the 6 groups (83%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. The scheme leans cool (pink and blue) and uses yellow for warmth, with white to calm things between them. Zigzag goldenrod and Japanese meadowsweet anchor the back corners of the bed: the tallest plants on the plan stand there.
The planner's own design check: 13 Excellent, 4 Good. It flags one thing to watch: Nothing on this plan is highly poisonous or an aggressive spreader.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where zigzag goldenrod goes in a border
At 3 ft it belongs in the middle of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is medium tall (2½ to 3 ft).
Its job: drift. Planted in a small group of three or five, and repeated further along in the other number.
A robust groundcover for shade that can compete with tree roots. It spreads by runners and seed, so use it in the wilder parts of the garden.
- Filling ground under trees
- Late flowers for shade
- Native woodland gardens
What to plant with zigzag goldenrod
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Blue wood aster: in flower together for three weeks, from mid September.
- White wood aster: in flower together for six weeks, from late August.
- Christmas fern: its dark green leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; low enough (20 in) to stand in front of it.
Questions about zigzag goldenrod
Does zigzag goldenrod need sun or shade?
Zigzag goldenrod grows in part sun (4 to 6 hours of sun, including some afternoon sun), part shade (2 to 4 hours of sun, mostly in the morning) and shade (less than 2 hours of direct sun, or bright dappled light).
It wants soil that stays evenly moist, of average fertility, and a good soak in dry spells.
What zones does zigzag goldenrod grow in?
USDA zones 3 to 8. It is hardy to zone 3, which means it survives winter nights down to about −30 °F (−34 °C).
Above zone 8 it struggles: the zones measure winter cold, but a plant's top zone usually means the summers are too hot or the winters too mild for it to rest.
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does zigzag goldenrod flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers mid August to late September. As a summer flower it moves about half a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer.
| Zone 3 | Late August to late September |
|---|---|
| Zone 4 | Late August to late September |
| Zone 5 | Mid August to late September |
| Zone 6 | Mid August to late September |
| Zone 7 | Early August to late September |
| Zone 8 | Early August to late September |
Worked out from Hopkins' bioclimatic law: spring arrives about four days later for each degree of latitude north, and one zone is roughly two degrees. A warm spring or a cold one moves any garden two weeks either way.
How far apart should zigzag goldenrod be planted?
24 in (60 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 2½ ft (75 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 3 ft (90 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many zigzag goldenrod plants do I need?
At 24 in apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 3 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 6 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 10 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own
In a mixed border, plant it as a group of three or five, with a second group further along in the other number.
In the bed above, the planner used three in one group.
Is there a native plant like zigzag goldenrod?
Zigzag goldenrod is not native to North America. These North American natives come closest to doing its job:
- Turtlehead 'Hot Lips': the same job in a bed and the same flowering time; 6 in narrower, pink, not yellow.
- Blue wood aster: the same job in a bed; 6 in narrower, flowers mid September to mid October.
- White snakeroot 'Chocolate': the same job in a bed and the same size; belongs at the back, not in the middle, flowers mid September to mid October.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
Will zigzag goldenrod spread?
It spreads sideways, by runners or roots; the risk of it taking over is moderate. Spreads by underground runners and can crowd its neighbours. Dig out the edges or divide every 2 to 3 years.
What flowers after zigzag goldenrod?
Zigzag goldenrod is over by late September. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- October daphne: from mid September to late October, 8 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
- Autumn crocus: from mid September to mid October, 5 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
- Japanese onion 'Ozawa': from early October to early November, 10 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
What does zigzag goldenrod look like in winter?
Zigzag goldenrod dies down to the ground and there is nothing to see until spring. The old stems can be cut in autumn, or left until spring as shelter for overwintering insects.
More Solidago
- Blue-stemmed goldenrod Solidago caesia
- Goldenrod 'Fireworks' Solidago rugosa 'Fireworks'
- Goldenrod 'Golden Fleece' Solidago sphacelata 'Golden Fleece'
- Goldenrod 'Little Lemon' Solidago 'Dansolitlem' (Little Lemon)
- Showy goldenrod Solidago speciosa
- Stiff goldenrod Solidago rigida
In these guides
Zone guides: Zone 3 · Zone 4 · Zone 5 · Zone 6 · Zone 7 · Zone 8
Every fact on record
- Type
- Perennial
- Size
- 3 ft (90 cm) tall, 2½ ft (75 cm) wide
- Plant
- 24 in (60 cm) apart
- Height class
- Medium tall (2½ to 3 ft)
- Place in the bed
- Middle
- Flowers
- Mid August to late September; dense clusters; yellow
- Leaves
- Medium texture, herbaceous; green
- Shape
- Upright, spreading
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 3 to 8
- Light
- Part sun, part shade, shade
- Soil
- Average, evenly moist
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- Light, in spring
Not yet checked against an outside reference: its figures rest on general horticultural knowledge. Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.