Column: Know your roots

Welcome, everyone. While taking down our tired-looking and leggy patio flowers and pots in the end-of-summer ritual, I found these interesting plant roots. If, dear readers, you can correctly identify what plants grow from these strange roots, I’ll gladly spring as a winning prize two 4-H milkshakes at next year’s Medina County Fair (2026).

Here’s a hint: These are common, ordinary greenhouse plants. Send your answers to my email, and the first correct answer I see/read will be the big winner. Good luck!

Goldenrod goodness

This plant is the state flower of Alabama, Kentucky and Nebraska. However, it is much maligned, being a victim of incorrect and false information that has given it a bad rap. It’s goldenrod. The scientific name is Solidago, which means “make whole/heal” due to its medicinal properties. Goldenrod is a herbaceous perennial in the daisy family, native primarily to North America.

It’s guilt by association because goldenrod blooms at the same time as ragweed. However, the pollen of goldenrod is too heavy and sticky to be wind-carried, so insects and birds are the sole pollinators. Ragweed is the villainous culprit, with waves of allergenic pollen carried everywhere by the wind.

Goldenrod is found in meadows and is considered a “keystone” plant due to its biodiversity, supporting a wide range of wildlife, from nectar for bees and butterflies to seeds for birds. For centuries, goldenrod was used as a traditional medicine to treat anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and diuretic conditions, as well as aiding in digestion issues. Goldenrod is a tough plant, able to tolerate drought and heat. It’s an aggressive spreader by underground roots called rhizomes. Plant some goldenrod in next year’s garden.

Seventy-thirty

The 70/30 rule is a landscape principle from Dutch garden designer Piet Oudolf. He is promoting the new perennial movement, using drifts of herbaceous perennials and ornamental grasses. The rule dedicates 70% of the garden to reliable, long-lasting plants that provide structure and interest — for example, evergreen shrubs combined with grasses — and 30% for filler plants that provide seasonal pops of color, different shapes and forms, or perhaps some “experimental” plants you’re willing to grow for fun.

This landscape design creates a balanced and visually interesting sustainable garden. For biodiversity, plant 70% native plants and 30% non-native (non-invasive) plants.

Thank you, Mark Albrecht!

A huge shoutout and deepest thanks to big-hearted Mark Albrecht of Albrecht Trucking for generously giving of his time, talent and treasure digging out and drying out Medina County Fairgrounds after the torrential rains during Fair Week. He saved Fair Week for us all. Thanks again, Mark — so much appreciated.

Until next time — peace.