Tennessee Smart Yards Native Plants
A comprehensive database of Tennessee native plants
Golden Alexanders, Golden Zizia
Golden Alexanders, Golden ZiziaZizia aureaFull to part sun, moderately wet to moderately dry moisture level, average soil, strongly acid to slightly acid pH. 2-3 feet height, blooms in spring, yellow flowers, will naturalize.Germination Code: M/C(60), G. Easy from seed.Native Region: Concentrated in Western Highland Rim and scattered lightly in rest of the stateShowy flowers on a plant that is easy to grow. Best planted en masse. Blooms for an extended period. Fairly short-lived but will re-seed if plants are left to complete their natural cycle. Member of the Parsley Family and is a larval host for the Eastern Black Swallowtail butterfly. Attracts many butterflies, bees and wasps. flower;sun;wet;clay |
 Photo Courtesy of John Hilty http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/  Photo Courtesy of John Hilty http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/  Photo Courtesy of John Hilty http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/ |
Tennessee Smart Yards Native Plants 
Several years ago I included this species in a planted area of about 40′ by 35′, and it came up beautifully. For the next 2-3 years, it was the dominant species in my little meadow, and I really enjoyed the bright yellow in spring. Then this year it was suddenly completely gone except for an isolated plant here and there. I figured that some of the more aggressive plants had crowded it out or that I had done something wrong in my original planting. Fortunately for me, my cousin is assistant curator of a botanical garden & arboretum at a large university, and he came for a visit. He explained to me that this is what zizia does; it lasts a few years and is gone. It seems to be a short-lived perennial that moves around and pops up here and there. So it was not crowded out and I didn’t do anything wrong. Very useful fact to know about this plant, so I thought I would pass it along.