Sweet Goldenrod

Solidago odora

Sweet Goldenrod earns its name the moment you crush a leaf. a clean, sweet anise scent, almost like licorice or tarragon, rises immediately. The narrow, smooth leaves are unlike the rough foliage of most goldenrods, and the arching one-sided plumes of golden yellow flowers appear from August into October on upright two-to-four-foot stems. The plant tolerates dry, sandy, lean soils better than most goldenrods, which makes it valuable for sites where other fall-blooming perennials would struggle. The fragrant leaves were used to make a tea by Indigenous peoples of the East, and the plant was listed in the U.S. Pharmacopeia as a medicinal herb in the 19th century. Today, it's best appreciated as a fragrant, low-maintenance, pollinator-supporting addition to dry meadow and naturalistic garden plantings. Brushing past it in the fall garden releases the anise scent, which is one of those sensory details that lingers in memory and brings people back to the nursery looking for it by name.