Bringing Golden Glow to the Cottage Gardens: A Flowery Tale

Learn about the flower golden glow in this fun and flowery tale, as I share about bringing golden glow to the cottage gardens around my home!

I spent my childhood being surrounded by flowers. The coastal farm where my family lived had a large front yard that was bordered by trees of plum, golden chair, pine and willow. And at the feet of these trees grew peonies, crocuses, snowball, spirea and mock orange bushes, garden loosestrife and many others.

These flowers and shrubs had been long-established before I arrived on the scene, and every spring my little girl’s heart would revel in the beauty of it all. 

And like most little girls, I probably destroyed much of the beauty by gathering up those spring flowers into baskets and vases in my pure enjoyment of them! 🙂 

Flowers have always had a special place in my heart. And when my man and I were finally able to settle in the Canadian countryside, I was eager to start establishing all kinds of flowering perennials around our little cottage and yard. 

But the northern climate we settled in was very different from the warm and rainy coastal environment I was accustomed to. I needed help choosing flower types that would survive our harsh winters. So I turned to an unusual Canadian resource: the Anne of Green Gables series. 

Lucy Maud Montgomery had a passion for gardens. Many times, she pauses from her story line to describe flower gardens in great detail. Whether it was descriptions of Green Gables blossoms, the Barry’s shaded garden or places Ann with an e traversed, there are many, many different flower names given in the pages of her writing. 

What better place for a beginning flower grower to start? 

Over the past several years, I’ve made lists of these flowers and many of the varieties I’ve brought to my gardens are a direct result of the inspiration I received through these books. 

And I thought I’d found all there was to discover. Until recently, that is. 

I was reading Anne’s House of Dreams and came across a 1x reference to a flower called Golden Glow. I had never noticed it before, so of course, I just had to look it up. 

And wouldn’t you know it? I’d found another beautiful perennial flower that does well in our Canadian winters!

What is the Golden Glow Flower?

Golden glow is a tall perennial plant that produces masses of cheery yellow flowers. The flower heads are similar to a small yellow dahlia and the plant can reach the towering heights of 6-7 feet. 

While it has more foliage than a sunflower, it isn’t particularly heavy on the dark green leaves it produces. And like the sunflower, it has a relatively long flowering period. 

Better yet? The blossoms last a long time in a vase, making them excellent cut flowers!

Golden glow was traditionally planted around the family outhouse and was even often referred to as an “outhouse flower” or “outhouse plant.” Unlike hollyhocks (another outhouse flower), golden glow doesn’t spread through self seeding but instead, through its hardy root system. 

Difference Between Golden Glow and Cutleaf Cone Flower or Wild Goldenglow

As you can imagine, everything I learned about Golden Glow further endeared it to me. And I just had to have some for my cottage gardens! But as I looked for ways to source it online, I soon discovered there was some confusion over what golden glow actually was.

I quickly learned that there is a wild golden glow, commonly known as cutleaf coneflower or green-headed coneflower. These plants produce daisy-like flowers and the tall coneflower plants are gangly and relatively unattractive. In my mind at least!

Using the latin name is the best way to ensure you’re getting the real thing. 

Wild goldenglow (the one you don’t want) has daisy-like flowers and is rudbeckia laciniata.

Real golden glow can be found under the name rudbeckia laciniata hortensia.

How to Grow Golden Glow

I’m certainly not a pro at growing golden glow. But I want to pass along what I’ve learned so far! Because this flowering perennial is worth sharing about. 

Where to Find Golden Glow

It didn’t take me long to discover it isn’t easy to get your hands on Golden Glow. The companies I usually ordered flower seed from didn’t carry it. And my research told me it was quite difficult to start from seed anyway. 

No. The best way to start golden glow was by digging a clump of root from an already established plant! 

Super helpful…right? 

But I wasn’t going to give up that easily. 

What are the chances I could find someone local who has golden glow growing in their garden? 

I live in an old farming community and in the summer, this place is abloom with lilacs, tulips, peonies and roses gone wild. If I could find golden glow anywhere, this would be the place. 

So I put word out on our local buy and sell page. And within 3 hours, I had a reply. 

Yes. Someone in town grew golden glow and would be delighted to let me come dig some roots from their plant. 

Once I arrived, I learned that they had dug starts from another gardener in the area.

​And so the sharing continues. 🙂 

When to Dig Golden Glow Roots

With most flowering plants, the best time to take rootstock is in early spring or early fall. However, I’m not convinced it matters so much with golden glow. I took my starts in early summer and they had no troubles re-rooting in their new home after receiving a deep watering. 

If you’re lucky enough to find golden glow in your area, take it regardless of the time of year. 

And if you source it in the summer like I did? Go ahead and cut the foliage back to 3-4 ft, so the plant can put all its energy into developing roots and establishing itself in your garden beds. 

Where to Plant Golden Glow

I’m relatively new to this beautiful perennial myself, but I’ve been told that golden glow grows just about anywhere. You can put it in full sun or in partial shade. It can be planted in a well-drained soil or moist soil. The soil type can be either alkaline or acidic. 

I planted my golden glow along the west wall of our home, between our kitchen and dining room window. The plants only receive partial sun in this location, but they took instantly and I can’t wait until next year, when my golden glow will really go into full bloom and produce flowers in abundance! 

This plant is a hardy one and that’s partly why it was so well loved by gardening folks throughout the generations. 

FAQ on Growing Golden Glow

Where should I grow my golden glow?

You can transplant your golden glow in an area with either full sun or partial shade; it should take and do well in either location. 

Is golden glow a vigorous spreader and should I be worried about it taking over? 

Golden glow spreads through its root system, so be sure to plant it in a location where you can let it go or have room to work and cut it back as needed. 

Does soil type matter when growing golden glow? 

Golden glow takes well to a variety of soil types. As long as the soil has good drainage, your golden flow should grow well. 

Do I need to fertilize my golden glow in order to get masses of yellow flowers? 

Like most flowering plants, it doesn’t hurt to feed your golden glow organic matter in the early spring or late fall. But unless your soil is just awful, it should do fine without. 

What is the bloom time for golden glow? 

I’m not experienced enough with golden glow to say for certain what the flowering period is in my Canadian climate. But so far, it looks as if it will blossom from mid summer through to mid fall. 

Why are my buds green instead of yellow? 

Like most blossoms in the coneflower family, golden glow forms the center disk floret first. These tiny green flowers are small and unattractive, but as they mature, these buds will develop into masses of bright yellow flowers. 

How do I keep golden glow from flopping over when the weight of it’s flowers cause it to droop? 

Because golden glow flower stalks grow so tall and produce lots of blossoms, the weight of its flowers can cause the plant to droop. So either stake the plant or pinch it back when it’s reached 4-5 feet in height. It will still produce lots of flowers for you to enjoy! 

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