Solidago virgaurea seed

LATIN NAME: Solidago virgaurea

COMMON NAME: European Goldenrod

European goldenrod is the bright, upright perennial of the dry meadows and the waysides of the old world, and a clump of it in flower is a fine, golden sight through the late summer. The tall, straight stems carry narrow leaves and dense, arching plumes of the small, yellow flower heads, and the plant flowers for a long stretch into the autumn. It is a tough, easy grower of the open, sunny ground, and it brings the bees, the butterflies and the hoverflies with it. It is one of the most generous of the late-summer flowers.

Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology

European goldenrod has a long and careful history in the plant science. The flowering heads have been studied for their traditional uses and the compounds they carry, and the plant keeps showing up in the work on the herbal tradition of the old world. The golden-yellow flowers are also a fine subject for the study of the natural pigments and the dye plants, and the plant has a documented place in the old practice of the natural colouring. The species has been carefully distinguished from its close relatives in the botanical studies, so the information here is solid and well recorded.

Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications

European goldenrod is a fine plant of the wildflower meadow, the sunny border and the pollinator garden. The late, rich flowering is a great help to the bees and the butterflies at the end of the season, and the plant brings a warm, golden glow to the autumn border. The flowering heads have a long traditional use, and the yellow flowers have been used to colour the cloth in the old practice of the region. It has been written about in the horticultural and the herbal papers for its late flowering and its many uses, and it asks for the sun and the well-drained soil.

European goldenrod has a long and careful history in the herbal tradition of the old world, where the flowering tops have been gathered and dried for centuries. The plant grows in the dry meadows and the waysides right across the Europe and the Asia, and it is one of the great nectar plants of the late summer. The yellow flowers have also been used to colour the cloth in the old practice, and the plant is a familiar of the meadow and the wildflower mixes. It is a tough, easy perennial that brings the bees and the butterflies to the border at the end of the season.

To grow the European goldenrod from seed, scatter the fine seeds on the surface of pots of moist, gritty, free-draining soil and press them in without covering them, since they like the light. Keep the pots in a bright, open, cool spot and water them gently. The seedlings are up before long and grow on into strong young plants over the first season. Set them out in a sunny, well-drained spot, and the golden plumes will be there to greet the late summer.

Asteraceae: upright perennial from 6-40cm. Found growing screes and rocky slopes. The flowers are yellow, individual heads 5-10mm across, comprising ray and disc florets, in branched spikes from June – July. The leaves are narrow and unstalked. Native to Eurasia’s cold and temperate cold areas.

USES:

An herbal tea can be made from the leaves.

Goldenrod is a safe and gentle remedy for a number of disorders. In particular, it is a valuable astringent remedy treating wounds and bleeding. The leaves and flowering tops have anthelmintic, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, aromatic, astringent, carminative, diaphoretic, mildly diuretic, febrifuge and stimulant properties.

GROWING INFORMATION:

Sow seeds in spring in a cold frame or greenhouse. Just cover the seed and do not allow the compost to become dry. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle, and grow them on for their first winter in pots. Easy.