Roughleaf Goldenrod 'Fireworks'

The arching flower branches create a fireworks-burst silhouette in October that no other plant matches. and it draws more fall pollinators than almost anything else in the garden.

'Fireworks' earns its name every fall: the long, arching branches of bright golden-yellow flowers spread outward and downward like exploding sparklers, a display that runs from September through October and can't be mistaken for anything else in the autumn garden. The flower branches are remarkably long, some reaching two feet, and they curve outward from the central stem in a pattern that genuinely suggests the burst of a firework. At three to four feet tall, it's a mid-border specimen that commands attention during peak fall pollinator season. Native bees absolutely pile onto this plant in September and October when foraging conditions are increasingly urgent before frost. Monarch butterflies nectaring during fall migration find it easily. The gold holds for weeks before transitioning to fluffy seed heads that goldfinches and other small birds work through early winter. 'Fireworks' is more floriferous and architecturally striking than the straight species, with the same deep ecological value and similar tolerance for moist conditions.