Goldenrod is a perennial grown for its blooms, which open in summer and return year after year. It's hardy across USDA zones 4 through 8 and shrugs off deer. Its summer flowers are a real draw for honeybees, native bees, and butterflies.
Goldenrod — the short answer
Goldenrod: grown in zones 4–8.
- USDA zones
- 4–8
- 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.
Score Goldenrod on your exact land.
Zone averages can't see the slope, soil, frost, and sun that decide whether goldenrod actually takes — and those shift from one yard to the next. Enter your address and we'll score goldenrod against your land's real conditions.
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What Goldenrod is
Goldenrod grows as a perennial and reaches around four feet at maturity. It blooms in summer. It's also deer-resistant.
How to grow Goldenrod
Goldenrod grows in USDA zones 4 through 8.
USDA Zones
4-8
USDA PHZM 2023
Soil pH
Data pending
Sun
Data pending
Growable Ground plant catalog
Drainage
Data pending
Growable Ground plant catalog
Mature Height
4 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
Start the season right
Plant goldenrod in full sun.
Match the soil
Pull a soil test from your local Extension lab to confirm pH and drainage match goldenrod's needs before planting.
Water steadily
Keep the root zone evenly moist through establishment. Match watering to the plant's drainage preference and your local rainfall.
Harvest at its peak
Cut goldenrod blooms in the cool of the morning, just as they open, for the longest display.
Where Goldenrod thrives
Goldenrod is hardy across USDA zones 4 through 8. 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 4–8 spans average winter lows from -30°F to 20°F (USDA PHZM 2023). Across the 50 states and DC, that band covers 25 outright and splits 26 more down the middle — and which side of that line your land sits on changes the answer.
Zones 4–8·Where Goldenrod growsOpen map →
Where Goldenrod stands, state by state
Goldenrod is rated for zones 4–8 — a cold floor USDA puts at -30 to -20°F. Across the 50 states and DC, 25 sit fully inside that band, the line runs through 26 more, and 0 sit outside it — and inside every split state, the same line runs on at county grain.
Fully inside zones 4–8
25 states
3 of 25 shown
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 Goldenrod
Growing guides for goldenrod
In rotation planning, 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)
Related plants in perennial flower
Good to know
Good news for pet owners — goldenrod isn't known to be toxic to dogs or cats. (Source: ASPCA.)
Goldenrod is a standout pollinator plant — high value to bees and other pollinators. (Source: Xerces Society.)
Your land is one point inside 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.
See if Goldenrod will thrive on your land
Zone averages are a start. Your exact soil pH, drainage, sun exposure, and frost dates shape whether goldenrod actually takes — we score it against the real conditions at your address.
Three things about your exact spot that zone averages miss:
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 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 Database•USDA PHZM•ASPCA
Frequently asked questions
Can I grow Goldenrod in my zone?
Goldenrod grows in USDA hardiness zones 4 through 8 (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 Goldenrod?
Time 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 Goldenrod need?
Specific pH data for goldenrod is pending. A soil test from your local Extension lab confirms what your site needs.
Does Goldenrod attract pollinators?
Yes — goldenrod's flowers are a strong nectar and pollen source for honeybees, native bees, and butterflies. (Source: Xerces Society.)
Is Goldenrod safe for pets?
Goldenrod is not known to be toxic to dogs or cats based on available data. Always supervise pets around new plantings. (Source: ASPCA.)