Kay Wade
Goldenrod
It’s early autumn. This is the season when goldenrod blooms. Why, we wonder, does this beauty not grace our own garden, realizing not that throughout summer we have willfully removed it, or poisoned it with chemical spray, deeming it a weed not worthy of the wait. We (or our paid gardeners) discard goldenrod to make room for more favored species: Black-eyed Susans and purple coneflowers, which are, by now, quite finished, bloom-wise. But goldenrod, that tough native often considered too “common” for our pampered, high-dollar perennial gardens, takes quiet revenge by casting its golden spell against the edge of every sun-soaked country road. ~K