Solidago bicolor

Common Names

White Goldenrod, Silverrod, Verge D'Or Bicolore

Summary

White Goldenrod, also called Silverrod, is an east coast native perennial in the Asteraceae family, native to eastern Canada and the eastern United States. It grows about 1–3 feet tall with a 1-foot spread and upright, usually unbranched stems. Distinctive features include white to pale cream flower heads arranged in a stem-ending spike, with white ray florets surrounding a yellow central disk, making it the only Solidago on the east coast with white rays. Blooms occur from midsummer into fall (roughly July to October), providing a late-summer display. Culture and uses: it tolerates full sun to partial shade and dry to well-drained soils, including clay, and is drought-tolerant once established; deer resistant. It attracts pollinators such as bees and butterflies and serves as a larval host for the Baltimore Checkerspot butterfly and the wavy-lined emerald moth; seeds are eaten by songbirds. Propagation is by division (also by seeds), and it suits native, pollinator, meadow, and woodland restoration plantings or naturalized landscapes; hardy in zones 3–9.

Lifecycle

Perennial

Height

1-3 feet

Spread

12-18 inches

Hardiness Zones

Zones 3-8

Sunlight Requirements

Ideally Full Sun; tolerates Partial Sun, Partial Shade, and Full Shade.

Soil Type

Well-drained loam soil

Soil Drainage

Well-drained soil

Soil pH

Tolerates all pH levels

Bloom Color

White to creamy-white with yellow central disks

Bloom Time

Summer to Fall

Foliage Color

Green

Fall Foliage Color

Green

Leaf Lifecycle

Deciduous

Growth Rate

Medium

Seasons of Interest

Summer and Fall

Propagation Methods

Division, Seeds

Attracts Wildlife

Attracts bees, butterflies, other pollinators, and birds