The tiny bluet and wild pansy are part of Virginia's natural ecosystem. They come in shades from pale blue to almost white to pale lavender. You'll be doing nature, and yourself by extension, a service to let this grow in your lawn.
Bird's Eye Speedwell is an imported (non-native) plant. If you think this is a weed and want to eradicate it, I won't object.
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1. Peonies are an alternate birth flower for November.
Not everyone likes chrysanthemums, so it’s nice to have an alternate birth-month flower. Peonies and mums both have showy blooms with many petals. Perhaps there is an attraction to a bit of extravagance during a season when trees are losing their leaves. 2. Peony plants can grow between 2 and 10 feet tall, depending on the type. Tree peonies are shrubs. Because of their thick wood stems, they can grow taller than herbaceous peonies that have soft stems. 3. Peonies need cold winters. Peonies need to get cold before they can bloom in the summer. This means that they can survive in most of the northern hemisphere, but peonies might not bloom as abundantly in lower latitudes. 4. Peonies take three years to produce their first blooms. This is fairly normal for many flowering plants. The first year or two might get a few blooms, but it’s the third year when the plant starts producing the amount of flowers gardeners look forward to seeing. 5. A peony plant can live for 100 years. Of course, the growing conditions need to be favorable. A lot of factors go into a plant’s longevity. Still, it’s awe-inspiring to think that your great-grandchild could be picking flowers from the plant you enjoy today. 6. There are at least 33 species of peonies. Different sites had different numbers, but 33 showed up multiple times. Even if the exact number isn’t accurate, the big picture is that there are dozens of species of peonies. That means you can find one that you like the look of and that works for your growing site. 1. Chrysanthemums are one of November’s birth flowers.
Chrysanthemums, often called “mums,” are the primary birth flower for November. Mums bloom later than many other flowers in the Northern Hemisphere. Chrysanthemums are tolerant of harsher conditions than many other flowers. Because mums bloom in November, they make a natural flower to symbolize the month. 2. Chrysanthemums come in colors from white to the yellow-orange spectrum to the red-pink-purple range. Researching more, you can learn that mums have been bred to have all types of colors, including lime green, brown, and bicolors. 3. Chrysanthemums flower when the days get shorter. Since flowers are one way a plant survives, or at least, reproduces, it makes sense, in a way, that less light would trigger a survival response. 4. Chrysanthemums can mildew if they stay wet for too long. It’s curious to think about a living plant in the ground outside getting too wet. I have visions of someone holding an umbrella over their mums during extended rainy seasons. But really, sufficient air circulation and drainage will allow the mums to dry out naturally. 5. Chrysanthemums can be perennials or annuals. Hardy (garden) mums are perennials. Florist (pot) mums are annuals. Florist mums are often more showy than hardy mums, but they can’t survive in the cold. 6. Chrysanthemums make good cut flowers. Mums last a long time as cut flowers. Even though there may be few varieties available to buy at grocery stores and the like, there exist many types of mums that make great cut flowers. How do you grow a pumpkin? 1. Preparing the Pumpkin Patch Before you plant your first pumpkin, you’ll need to pick a spot where the vines can spread out. Garden Beast recommends giving 4-10 feet between pumpkin plants, depending on the variety. I’ve seen other sites say that some varieties can sprawl up to 17 feet! Next, you’ll need to work on the soil. Pumpkins like loamy soil, so if your garden patch is mostly clay or sand, you’ll have some work to do. Of course, it is possible to plant pumpkins in any type of soil, but they might not grow well. The plants might be smaller than the package advertises. You might end up with plants that have a lot of leaves but don’t produce fruit. The pumpkin plants might have other problems or simply fail to thrive. Dirt Connections explains what loam soil is and how to achieve it in your garden. It’s a years-long process, so be patient and persistent! 2. Selecting Pumpkin Varieties When you’re ready to plant, select a pumpkin variety that you like and is suited to your space. These are some questions to help you pick the best pumpkin for your garden.
The answers to these questions will narrow down the type of pumpkins for you to pick from. 3. Planting and Growing Pumpkins
Pumpkins are best planted in late spring or early summer - pumpkins like warm weather and lots of sun. The variety you pick will recommend a planting time for where you live. You can plant pumpkin seeds directly in your garden or start seeds indoors and transplant the seedlings when it gets warm enough. Pumpkins will grow best with at least 6 hours of sunlight each day, a weekly deep watering, and a fertilizer feed every week or two. Once fruit begins to form, you may want to put it on a brick or something similar to keep it off the ground. This can help the mature fruit to look prettier. You may also choose to cut away any leaves shading the developing fruit so that it gets enough sun to grow to its full potential. Gardeners’ World has tips on growing pumpkins and storing mature fruit. How can pumpkins be used for decorating?
Whole pumpkins can be used to decorate
And any place else you can put a gourd! How can you decorate with small pumpkins? Small pumpkins, like Jack Be Little, are best for tablescapes and grouping in baskets. Pick one variety in the same color for a monochromatic look or mix it up with different colors and shapes. Find a container and pile in the gourds! If your container is a plastic storage tub, wrap a wide ribbon around it or drape fabric over the sides so that the arrangement looks intentional. A plastic tub with things piled in it might look like sloppy storage, but thoughtfully staging the container will make it look like an intentional decorating choice. Don’t limit yourself to baskets and bowls. If the pumpkin will fit in it, try it out as decoration! Consider using glass jars, decorative glass lanterns, milk crates, terrariums, cloches (bell jars), wagons, children’s rideable cars or bikes, wheelbarrows, or anything else you have on hand. How can you decorate with medium-sized pumpkins? Medium pumpkins, like Casper pumpkins, are good for doorsteps or pairing with hay bales for a fall party. For a small stoop, put a single medium pumpkin on a step and a chrysanthemum on a step above or below it. For a larger porch, you might want a pumpkin on each step or grouped on the porch. You could have a size or color gradation moving down the steps. Start with the smallest pumpkin at the top and have the largest one on the bottom step. Or put a pale green pumpkin on the bottom step and slowly brighten to a full orange pumpkin on the top stop. Your options are only limited by your imagination. Don’t be afraid of doing it “wrong.” Play around with arrangements and when you like what you see, show it off with confidence! To use pumpkins for a reception or other large party, you could use different color or style pumpkins to mark different areas. For example, the smooth orange pumpkins could indicate the food area, the warty green and orange pumpkins could line the dance floor, and the green pumpkins could mark off the smoking zone. How can you decorate with large pumpkins? Large pumpkins, like Big Moon, can grow up to several hundred pounds and may be more challenging to use in home decorating than smaller varieties. I suppose if you had a large field or room and the machinery to move the pumpkins, they could make whimsical path markers or those benches that you lean against without sitting. How do you prepare pumpkins for decorating? For short term decorating, most store-bought pumpkins are fine to be used as they are. If you want to use pumpkins longer, you’ll need to remove bacteria and cure the gourd. Here is one way of helping to slow down a pumpkin’s decay.  The yellow flowers, sunny as the summer day
A bendy stalk, whorled with leaves ascending A buzzy friend, pollen to its legs appending Could any sweeter view before me lay? The many petals, set in the form of a ray And bud after bud, and buds unending A brilliance to the field ever lending What plant is this? Please tell me, please do say. Egg-yolk yellow, fuzzy summer flowers Moths and birds, those rabbits, too, living in the leaves It thrives in barren sod This plant, many insects does empower This autumn beauty, once truly known, deep love breeds It’s lovely goldenrod.  Here is an incomplete list of the many different types of animals that rely on goldenrod. Insects that Pollinate Goldenrod
Each type of insect has different species that may use goldenrods. Finding and listing them all out would be too much for a short overview like this article. Animals that Eat the Leaves of Goldenrod
Garden Experiments says that turkey and ruffed grouse eat goldenrod leaves, but I couldn’t find other sources to confirm this. White-tailed deer may eat the leaves of goldenrod, but it’s not their preferred food. Animals That Eat the Seeds of Goldenrod
This list comes from Garden Experiments, but I couldn’t find other sites to confirm that all these animals eat goldenrod seeds. It seems likely that these animals would eat goldenrod seeds, though. I know the gray squirrels in my backyard will eat almost anything plant based. Animals That Live On Goldenrod as Larvae or Nymphs
You can go down the rabbit hole of Wikipedia looking at the different species of insects that use goldenrod. Animals That Eat Insects Living On Goldenrod
Sources
 Goldenrods can, of course, be used in flower gardens and landscaping, but they can also be used for indoor decorating.
1. Stems of goldenrod can be used as fresh cut flowers. It is suggested that you cut the stems before the flowers bloom. Otherwise, they could turn into seeds within a few hours, even when the stems are stored in a vase of water. Since goldenrod pollen isn’t usually the type to become airborne, this could be a good choice of flower when you don’t want pollen falling on your tablecloth. 2. Goldenrod flowers can be used in dried flower arrangements. Dried goldenrod flowers typically keep their bright yellow color. Loose flowers can be dried and kept in clear glass jars as decorations for your rustic autumn décor. Dried stems of goldenrod can be used in vases or with other dried flowers in an arrangement. If you dry your own, be sure that they are completely dry to avoid mold growing or rotting stems. 3. Goldenrod stems can be used to make wreaths. You’ll need a wreath form and some wire to tie the stems on. Again, if you’re using fresh flowers, be sure to keep an eye on the drying process and remove any rotting or molding stems. 4. Goldenrod stems can make swags and garlands. I haven’t tried this, but if goldenrod can be bent around a wire wreath frame, then stems of goldenrod, full of yellow buds, would make a festive garland for birthday parties, September weddings, or an autumnal equinox party. As a nature lover, I have to request that if you’re harvesting more than a few stems, that you plant your own goldenrod specifically to cut for decorations or buy from someone who has cultivated the plants for this purpose. Wild plants look abundant, but overharvesting can make them disappear, as well as the beneficial wildlife they support. 
Like most plants, goldenrods have their share of folklore attached to them. Here are a few found online.
A Fairy’s Gift In one fairy tale, a stick offered itself to an old woman to use as a walking staff. When the old woman left the stick behind, she sprinkled it with fairy dust and it became the goldenrod. Read the full legend from this post in the Sun Gazette. A Witch’s Trick In this story, two sisters asked a witch for help because they never wanted to be parted as they grew older. The result was goldenrod and chicory (or purple asters) blooming at the same time of year and in similar habitats. Read the full family tale in this post from Dave’s Garden. Goldenrod Means Money, or Maybe Water According to the Farmer’s Almanac, the presence of goldenrods means there is buried treasure under them. Or maybe it means that the closest house will experience prosperity. On the other hand, goldenrod might also mean there is a spring nearby. Or maybe frost is coming. Goldenrod Makes Rubber If science legends are your interest, some say that Thomas Edison had a Model T with tires made from the rubber found in goldenrod. If this sprinkling of goldenrod lore intrigued you, search for “goldenrod legends” and “goldenrod folklore” to learn more. Remember, check any medical suggestions against logic and modern scientific knowledge. Just because something was used to treat an ailment, that doesn’t mean it produced the desired effect.  Goldenrods are a quintessential wildflower in late summer and early fall in Virginia. The tall, slender stems sag with the weight of their yellow flowers and brighten up roadsides, abandoned fields, and the edges of woods. Often seen from a speeding car, how much do you know about goldenrods?
1. Goldenrods (solidago spp.) are part of the Aster family (Asteraceae). Goldenrod flowers seen on the roadside as I drive past don’t look anything like an aster, but when I get up close, I see the similarities. 2. Goldenrod flowers usually have a ray or disc shape. From a car window, goldenrod flowers look more like tubes or random fluffs, but up close, you can see the petals arranged in a circle. They look very similar to aster and daisy blooms. 3. Goldenrod flowers are usually yellow. It makes sense that plants with yellow flowers on a skinny stem would come to be known as goldenrods. In Virginia, an exception to the yellow flower is the silverrod (solidago bicolor), which has white flowers. 4. The peak blooming time for Goldenrods in Virginia is September. Goldenrods start blooming in August and some will continue into November, but in general, September is when most varieties are in full bloom. 5. There are about 40 species of goldenrods native to Virginia. This doesn’t mean that all species are native to all counties of Virginia. The Digital Atlas of the Virginia Flora is a good resource for finding out if a plant is native to a specific county. 6. Goldenrod pollen is unlikely to cause allergies. This is because the plant is pollinated by insects. That means that its pollen isn’t usually blown around by the wind. If the pollen isn’t in the air, it is unlikely that you are breathing it in or getting it on your skin. If you aren’t coming into contact with the pollen, it's unlikely that you are experiencing allergies from the pollen. Of course, you should always consult a doctor before making healthcare decisions. Goldenrods are a cheerful sight in late summer and early fall. Whether you enjoy them cultivated or in the wild, goldenrods that are native to Virginia are beneficial for natural cycles and for beauty. Let’s enjoy the view! |
ESL PostsSome Beyond the Beginner videos are from The Variety Page posts that were edited for ESL listeners. Find those Read-Along transcripts here. Hire a WriterDo you need a content writer who writes without using AI? I have experience with shorter posts and longer articles. Learn more here. PhotosAll photo credits go to Jill Hames, unless otherwise noted. Categories
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Jill Hames is a writer, musician, biblical studies teacher, and ESL tutor who finds life too interesting to pick a niche. She has a B.A. in Music and Spanish, a Masters in Library and Information Science, is TEFL.org 168-hour certified to teach English as a second language, and is working towards a Master of Divinity. Jill is a member of Delta Omicron and the International Women's Writing Guild.
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Copyright 2025
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Copyright 2025