The first few years this tall plant showed up in this corner of the garden I pulled it up, having no idea what it was. Luckily some escaped my hand long enough to bloom. Now it is an annual delight for a week or so every September.

I don’t know what species of Solidago this is or by what route it came to my garden. It is supposed to be a sunlover but here it is in an extremely shady area, under pecans and cedar elm. This is also a low area of the yard, although it doesn’t get any additional irrigation from me so it is dry except during the rainy times of the year. This area may have once been considerably sunnier in the late afternoon, as evidenced by the crepe myrtles whose foliage is just visble in the upper right. But before my arrival on the scene the neighbor next door had planted an eight-foot high row of photinias which obscures the slanting sun. You can see the photinias forming the backdrop in the photo. Regardless of how it got here or why it is in an such an unlikely spot, it seems to like it, and the dark gold really livens up the gloom on moody fall afternoons.

Many people mistakenly believe that goldenrod causes hay fever. Actually it’s pollen is too heavy to be easily windborne. It just happens to be very visible so has become the obvious suspect when allergy season arrives.

The Latin name means “to make whole” and refers to the herbs reputed curative powers. According to Geyeta Ajilvsgi in Wildflowers of Texas, the Cherokee made a Solidago tea for digestive ailments and the flowers were also a source for natural dye.