The Crown of Rays Goldenrod, otherwise known as the Solidago ‘Crown Of Rays’ or Thunberg Spirea, Breath of Spring Spirea, Baby’s Breath Spirea, is a rather well known shrub plant by gardening enthusiasts around the world.
Best known for its low maintenance and fast growth, this shrub will likely liven up your house (or garden) with its dark green colored leaves. But, only if you learn how to take proper care of it for it to thrive.
Fortunately, this is exactly what we’ll cover in this Crown of Rays Goldenrod Care Guide. So let’s dive in.
In order to take proper care of your Crown of Rays Goldenrod you’ll need to keep in mind the following guidelines:
- Water: The Crown of Rays Goldenrod wants regular watering to enhance fruit production but as a landscape plant, too much water will be a problem.
- Light: Keep your Solidago ‘Crown Of Rays’ in an environment where it can receive full sun on a daily basis.
- Soil: Make sure to keep the Crown of Rays Goldenrod in soil with moist but well-draining to well draining properties, so ideally, one that is made of sand, chalk, and loam.
And as with many other plants, these are the only three care factors you need to remember to make sure your Crown of Rays Goldenrod is, for the most part, healthy and well to survive.
Scientific / Botanical Aspects
In botanical terms, the Crown of Rays Goldenrod belongs to the Rosaceae family, the genus Spiraea and the species Thunbergii, hence its scientific (or botanical) name Solidago ‘Crown Of Rays’.
The Rosaceae family also includes other plants like Prunus X Cistena, Gingersnap™ Potentilla, Golden Delicious Apple, Lilla Smoke Bush, Braeburn Apple, Malus Domestica, Flowering Quince, Phormium ‘Pink Stripe’, Blenheim Apricot, Prunus Cerasifera ‘Krauter Vesuvius’, Prunus Cerasifera ‘Thundercloud’, Akebono Cherry, Floribunda rose ‘Golden Beauty’, Rosa ‘Golden Showers’, Rosa X ‘Joseph’S Coat’, Large-Flowered Climber, Bridalwreath ‘Pink Ice’, Thriller Lady’s Mantle, Weeping Flowering Cherry, First Snow Spirea, Malus Domestica ‘Fuji’, Pink Rugosa Rose, Common Laurel, Prunus Salicina ‘Ozark Premier’, Alyssum Serpyllifolium, Red Chokeberry ‘Brilliantissima’, Prostanthera Cuneata ‘Badja Peak’, Cosmos Atrosanguineus, Skimmia Japonica, Rosa X ‘Radyod’ Plant Patent #14700, Photinia melanocarpa, Cecile Brunner Climbing Rose, Frosty® Potentilla, Forsythia X ‘Courtasol’, Granada, Malus X Domestica ‘Red Delicious’, Taiwan Firethorn ‘Santa Cruz’ and Yellow Lady Banks Climbing Rose.
As with other Spiraea’s, the Crown of Rays Goldenrod is a herbaceous plant, which means it will die back to the ground every year.
Growing Region
The Crown of Rays Goldenrod is a plant native to the Japan and China.
Knowing your plant’s native region is very useful, as it can give you tips on which environment is best for your Crown of Rays Goldenrod. If you keep it in mind, you can try to replicate these conditions at home, and you’ll likely end with a healthier plant.
With this in mind, the Solidago ‘Crown Of Rays’ will be most used to the heat zones in the 5 – 8 region, as the plant hardiness level falls between 4a, 4b, 5b, 5a, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8b, 8a and the ideal climate zone is between 1, 1A, 1B, 2, 2A, 2B, 3, 3A, 3B, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21.
Growth and Size
Growth
In terms of size and growth, the Crown of Rays Goldenrod is a relatively fast grower, which makes things tricky for any plant enthusiast.
Size
But what exactly does this mean for your Crown of Rays Goldenrod? How large a pot should you consider, how tall, how wide can it get? Let’s jump in…
The Solidago ‘Crown Of Rays’ can grow up to 3′ – 5′ (90cm – 150cm) in 3′ – 5′ (90cm – 150cm) and 3′ – 5′ (90cm – 150cm) in 3′ – 5′ (90cm – 150cm).
These dimensions make the Crown of Rays Goldenrod a relatively medium shrub compared to others, so it’s best to keep this fact in mind since it will affect where you want to keep yours at home.
This is why experts recommend keeping an area of approximately 36″ – 60″ (90cm – 150cm) free so the Crown of Rays Goldenrod can spread to its best extent.
Water
In terms of watering, the Crown of Rays Goldenrod is a fairly complicated plant to take care of.
This is mostly because it has a not so straightforward watering schedule and somewhat regular watering needs.
Specifically, most experts agree that the Solidago ‘Crown Of Rays’ wants regular watering to enhance fruit production but as a landscape plant, too much water will be a problem.
Which is why it is considered a plant with relatively average needs in terms of water.
Watering
As a rule of thumb, you should remember to keep your Crown of Rays Goldenrod in soil with moist but well-draining to well draining characteristics, as these will guarantee the right conditions for your plant to grow and thrive.
When you consider this, this is why you should aim to choose soil that has good drainage, and moist properties to keep the right moisture levels at all times.
In our experience, the famous ‘thumb’ or ‘finger’ test is what works best for the Crown of Rays Goldenrod since with it, you will be able to give it the right amount of water, every time – regardless of the environment or placement where you do decide to keep it.
Soil Mix
As mentioned earlier, the Crown of Rays Goldenrod prefers to have soil with good drainage, and moist properties at all times, reason why you need to make the soil mix out of sand, chalk, and loam.
This is why most experts agree that the Crown of Rays Goldenrod requires soil with clay, high organic matter, loam (silt), and shallow rocky, which will give you the right conditions it needs.
In addition to this, expert gardeners recommend having preferably alkaline, acid or neutral soil.
Light and Exposure
In terms of light & exposure, the Crown of Rays Goldenrod requires full sun in order for it to thrive under the right conditions.
Most experts agree that this shrub will do well as long as you keep it in full sun, and it will be able to grow properly.
Specifically, we recommend that you place your Solidago ‘Crown Of Rays’ in little to partial shade (only 2-6 hours of direct sunlight a day), to full and direct sun (more 6 hours of direct sunlight per day).
Season
Being a herbaceous plant, the Crown of Rays Goldenrod will die back to the ground every year.
But, you can expect it to have its ‘prime-time’ during the spring (mid, late).
Flowers
You can expect your Crown of Rays Goldenrod to flower around the spring months from April to June (spring).
In particular, this shrub is well known for its flowers for cutting and showy flowers around the plant enthusiast community.
The Crown of Rays Goldenrod produces some beautiful yellow, or white flowers around this time of year.
Foliage
The leaves from the Crown of Rays Goldenrod have a beautiful dark green color during most of the year.
In particular, they have a simple arrangement with a alternate organization in its leaves.
You can expect the leaves from your Solidago ‘Crown Of Rays’ to be around (1-3 inches) in size.
Attracts, Tolerance and Resistance
The Crown of Rays Goldenrod is well known for being able to attract butterflies, so keep that in mind when choosing your plant, as you’ll likely end up finding one or another in your garden.
Additionally, it has a special tolerance for drought and animals like deer, so don’t worry if any of these come along, your Solidago ‘Crown Of Rays’ will be fine.
Garden
Does your Crown of Rays Goldenrod have any garden recommendations? Does it serve any gardening purposes? Here’s how you can get the most out of your new plant.
Most Solidago ‘Crown Of Rays’ owners agree that this shrub will look great in most cottage and rustic gardens of all types.
Other owners consider that they complement well most gardens of informal and cottage, and in traditional garden styles.
In particular, the Crown of Rays Goldenrod’s best location within your garden is in beds and borders, banks and slopes, and in hedges and screens, others use it for landscaping in a very wet areas, rock garden, naturalized areas, mass planting, firescaping/fire wise, cutting garden, border, or a wildlife garden.
Companion Plants
Crown of Rays Goldenrod’s do well with some other plants beside it. One good companion plant is the Schizachyrium, which will pair up nicely with your leafy friend.
Others consider that a nice Rudbeckia will work well too, so choose whichever you find works best for you!
Conclusion
Even though we covered a lot of care information for your Crown of Rays Goldenrod, remember the basics: sunlight, soil and water, as these should be enough to grow a healthy plant at home.
