My yard will be awash in yellow for the next few weeks, surpassing May, with its scores of daffodils, and even June, before its thousands of dandelions turn to fluff. It’s the season for goldenrod, now starting to bloom around the yard edges and in every unmowed ditch or corner, and more ostentatious yet, a certain coneflower called Gray.
Ratibida pinnata is native to much of central North America and look no further than my yard to see what conditions it will grow in: rocky clay soil, dry in summer, wet in the spring, on disturbed soil (ie a garden) or in the middle of an established meadow. Its seeds don’t seem to travel far, but there’s so many of them that one plant will become many plants in a few acres in not that many years. If you want it to grow somewhere specific, just cut a few of the five foot stalks after seed has been set, walk to the new location, and shake.
County Gardening 
It grows well here in the South and blooms in May but it wants to flop after it blooms. The local folks at Ruffner Mountain Preserve suggest cutting it way back after blooming. They have had success with the Ratibida having a second blooming in the fall. At their recommendation that is what I have done. We shall see.
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If the first bloom is in May I have no doubt you’d get a second flush. They do flop, though…I but lots back after blooming just to get down some pathways
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I like these. I wonder if they live here??And the name is wonderful, too.
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The goldenrod takeover! Similarly, we have woodland sunflower (Helianthus divaricatus). The goldfinches love the seeds.
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They do, and the plant itself spreads so easily, doesn’t it?
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It surely does!
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They’re beautiful plants, and your advice for increasing their coverage suggests a botanical re-make of the great blues classic: how about “Shake Your Seedling Maker”?
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😆😆😆
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Yellow is such a happy & cheerful color…people should choose to surround themselves with lots of yellow flowers. I have so many St John’s Wort ‘Sunburst’ shrubs that all kinds of bees franticly collect pollen from & a huge area…and getting larger…of abundant false sunflowers.
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St. John’s Wort had found its way to my garden and well – unexpected and welcome!
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Actually I wrote a comment hours & hours ago, about yellow being a cheerful & happy color & any plant that pollinators love is super welcome in my yard.
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Sounds like a great plant and very pretty too. Must look out for some, or some seed. 😃
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Seeds? Did I hear seeds?
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😉🤣
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