Gldno, that Heliopsis cultivar is beautiful! I'm going to keep that one in mind when Bluestone has their sale next June. This thread has got me looking at buying seeds for more Solidago and Heliopsis. Eric_oh, it sounds like you purchased Solidago canadensis (Canada goldenrod). This is a common, rhizomatous goldenrod that is very aggressive - not for the garden. 'Fireworks' is a cultivar of Solidago rugosa, which is also rhizomatous, but apparently the cultivar is not aggressive like the species. Can't believe the nursery or where ever screwed that one up. The clumping Goldenrod species are much better behaved. It's worth noting, for gardening newbies, that Goldenrod does NOT cause hayfever - it has heavy pollen that is insect pollinated. It is Ragweed, which blooms at the same time, that is wind-pollinated and is the culprit in allergic reactions.

I don‘t think one can reduce the difference to just one of those two variables. There are multiple reasons why your yard is different from the trailside. But I wouldn’t worry too much about trying to get ’good’ soil. Wildflowers don’t need rich living. The Bidens is an annual while the Goldenrod is perennial, so that would explain why the former flowered in year one and the latter not until year two.

I revisited this post to get the exact ID. This goldenrod species is Solidago altissima, or more precisely the Solidago altissima complex which includes 3 varieties. The different varieties can occur together, and there can be specimens that exhibit intermediate stages between varieties. This photo shows Solidago altissima var. altissima on the left. The upper leaves are not reduced in size. The goldenrod on the right is Solidago altissima var. pluricephela. The inflorescence is elongated and the upper leaves are reduced in size. In this photo the shorter plant on the left is Solidago altissima var. pluricephela. The plant on the right looks intermediate showing traits from both Solidago altissima var. altissima and Solidago altissima var. pluricephela.

This is Seaside Goldenrod, Solidago sempervirons. It must have travelled west via the great lakes. It's not native to Illinois. I pull them out, once they finish flowering. This is a grass leaved goldenrod, Euthamia graminifolis. It spreads agressively, but the rope-like rhizomes pull out easily like rope. Solidago speciosa. I had no idea what it was for a couple years, the basal leaves looked like a Rumex species. This species produces offsets. The past couple years have had wet springs with droughts later on, and some larger goldenrods put on a lot of growth and then lose their bottom leaves when it gets dry. I should have probably sheared a few plants by about a third. Solidago ptarmicoides/Oligoneuron album. It's very well behaved. I also grow Solidago juncea, Early Goldenrod, S. drumondii, Cliff Goldenrod, S. rigida/O. rigidum, Stiff Goldenrod and S. nemoralis, Gray Goldenrod.