Canada goldenrod (Solidago canadensis), photographi

How to Grow Canada Goldenrod

Solidago canadensis · Zones 5-9

Canada Goldenrod is a perennial grown for its blooms, which open in summer and return year after year. It's hardy across USDA zones 5 through 9 and shrugs off deer. Its summer flowers are a real draw for honeybees, native bees, and butterflies.

Canada Goldenrod — the short answer

Canada Goldenrod: grown in zones 5–9.

USDA zones
5–9
Manual horticultural correction (source not retained); NC State Extension and Missouri Botanical Garden, with the remaining rows from other published sources or Growable Ground compilation

Plant data: Growable Ground Plant Database, compiled from FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS and university Extension sources — each tile names its own row's source, because per-field provenance varies.

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Score Canada Goldenrod on your exact land.

Zone averages can't see the slope, soil, frost, and sun that decide whether canada goldenrod actually takes — and those shift from one yard to the next. Enter your address and we'll score canada goldenrod against your land's real conditions.

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What Canada Goldenrod is

Canada Goldenrod grows as a perennial and reaches around five feet at maturity. It blooms in summer. It's also deer-resistant.

How to grow Canada Goldenrod

Canada Goldenrod grows in USDA zones 5 through 9.

USDA Zones

5-9

USDA PHZM 2023

Soil pH

Data pending

Sun

Data pending

Growable Ground plant catalog

Drainage

Data pending

Growable Ground plant catalog

Mature Height

5 ft

Growable Ground plant catalog

Frost-Free Days

0+

The frost-free stretch it needs start to finish — short-season areas may need an indoor head start.

Growable Ground plant catalog

  1. Start the season right

    Plant canada goldenrod in full sun.

  2. Match the soil

    Pull a soil test from your local Extension lab to confirm pH and drainage match canada goldenrod's needs before planting.

  3. Water steadily

    Keep the root zone evenly moist through establishment. Match watering to the plant's drainage preference and your local rainfall.

  4. Harvest at its peak

    Cut canada goldenrod blooms in the cool of the morning, just as they open, for the longest display.

Where Canada Goldenrod thrives

Canada Goldenrod is hardy across USDA zones 5 through 9. Zone is only the starting point, though: the soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific land decide how well it actually does.

A USDA zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme winter minimum, so zones 59 spans average winter lows from -20°F to 30°F (USDA PHZM 2023). Across the 50 states and DC, that band covers 25 outright and splits 25 more down the middle — and which side of that line your land sits on changes the answer.

Zones 5–9 highlighted on the USDA national hardiness zone map

Zones 5–9·Where Canada Goldenrod growsOpen map →

Where Canada Goldenrod stands, state by state

Canada Goldenrod is rated for zones 59 — a cold floor USDA puts at -20 to -10°F. Across the 50 states and DC, 25 sit fully inside that band, the line runs through 25 more, and 1 sits outside it — and inside every split state, the same line runs on at county grain.

Fully inside zones 5–9

25 states

3 of 25 shown

The line runs through

25 states

3 of 25 shown

Canada Goldenrod’s band covers part of each of these states — which side of the line your county sits on changes the answer, and each state page draws it.

Outside zones 5–9

1 state

Winter cold is the limit here — the same plant often works in a container that comes under cover. Each link is that state’s own growing hub.

State zone extents: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM) 2023. A zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme minimum temperature, so a state that splits the band contains the boundary — its own page draws the county line, and a parcel report resolves which side your land sits on.

What grows around Canada Goldenrod

In rotation planning, canada goldenrod counts as a Other — beds recover best when other crops don’t follow each other in the same spot year over year. (Growable Ground derivation — crop-rotation group from botanical family)

Good to know

Good news for pet owners — canada goldenrod isn't known to be toxic to dogs or cats. (Source: ASPCA.)

Canada Goldenrod is a standout pollinator plant — high value to bees and other pollinators. (Source: Xerces Society.)

Your land is one point inside Canada Goldenrod's range

This page resolves to the species. Your state page draws the county line, and a report reads the parcel — the soil pH, drainage, sun, and frost dates on your exact ground, which no species average can see.

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See if Canada Goldenrod will thrive on your land

Zone averages are a start. Your exact soil pH, drainage, sun exposure, and frost dates shape whether canada goldenrod actually takes — we score it against the real conditions at your address.

Three things about your exact spot that zone averages miss:

Your soil pHYour frost-free daysYour sun & shade

We read public map data for this spot — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.

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How we know this about Canada Goldenrod

The figures above are cited per row, not per site: the pH band names this plant’s own source column, the three temperature figures each carry their own, and days-to-maturity cites the publication that actually lists it. All of it comes from the Growable Ground Plant Database — a compilation over FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS, and university Extension sources, published openly with per-field provenance.

Grounded inUSDA PLANTS DatabaseUSDA PHZMASPCA

Frequently asked questions

Can I grow Canada Goldenrod in my zone?

Canada Goldenrod grows in USDA hardiness zones 5 through 9 (USDA PHZM 2023). Zone is one factor — soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific parcel also shape whether it takes.

When should you plant Canada Goldenrod?

Time canada goldenrod to your own season rather than the calendar. Your local frost dates set the exact window — a Growable Ground report reads them for your address.

What soil does Canada Goldenrod need?

Specific pH data for canada goldenrod is pending. A soil test from your local Extension lab confirms what your site needs.

Does Canada Goldenrod attract pollinators?

Yes — canada goldenrod's flowers are a strong nectar and pollen source for honeybees, native bees, and butterflies. (Source: Xerces Society.)

Is Canada Goldenrod safe for pets?

Canada Goldenrod is not known to be toxic to dogs or cats based on available data. Always supervise pets around new plantings. (Source: ASPCA.)