Goldenrod Archives

Goldenrod: Kentucky’s Misunderstood State Flower

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. May 16, 1926 On this day, Kentucky officially adopted the goldenrod as its state floral emblem. This decision came after years of debate within gardening clubs, who felt that the previously recognized bluegrass…

Asa Gray and Goldenrod or Solidago

A Letter from a Friend November 18, 1881 On this day, Asa Gray received a letter from his botanical friend and colleague George Engelmann. Asa wrote him back in December: “My dear old Friend, It is shabby of me to wait so long in response to your kindly greetings, which were dated on my birthday,…

November 18, 2020 Winter Garden Plants, William Shenstone, Leo Lesquereux, Asa Gray, Beverley Nichols, The Kew Gardener’s Guide to Growing House Plants by Kay Maguire, and Goldenrod

Today we celebrate the man who was a gardener and a poet and he inspired the trend toward the picturesque natural Landscape. We’ll also learn about the Swiss botanist who specialized in mosses. We’ll remember the birthday of the Father of American botany. We’ll take a look back at a popular November fruit – I…

Praise for the Kings of the 1915 Autumn Garden: Goldenrod and Aster

“…the black-eyed Susans are closing their long campaign, chicory is losing its last pale blue, and the aster and goldenrod are left not exactly blooming alone but the kings of the floral world.” September 25, 1915 On this day, the Burlington, Vermont newspaper shared a little article about September flowers, focusing mainly on the goldenrod…

A Southern Belle in Bloom: Alabama’s Love Affair with Camellia japonica

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. August 26, 1959 On this day, dear devotees of the garden, we find ourselves transported to the heart of Dixie, where a horticultural revolution was quietly taking root. For it was on this…

The Kentucky Floral Emblem: Goldenrod

“Goldenrod has a lot of haters; many people confuse it for ragweed. I hate even to say that – because I think that makes people think they must look similar. That’s just not true.” May 16, 1926 On this day, Kentucky selected the Goldenrod as its State Flower. Previously, Kentucky’s flower had been the…