Here’s another of my favorite plants, golden alexander (Zizia aurea). It’s relatively new to my garden – I planted the first small grouping in 2022. That group did well (meaning it wasn’t eaten by the rabbits) so I have been adding more, and it has continued to thrive. It’s a really useful and lovely plant that fills several key needs in my native garden, so it is here to stay.

Please bear with me as I call this plant by its botanical name, Zizia, mostly because it’s easy and fun to say. (The name actually comes from a German botanist Johann Ziz.) There are three species of Zizia native in the US, but today we are focusing on the golden alexander, Zizia aurea, as it is the only one native in New England. It actually has quite a broad range, from Montana and Saskatchewan through the Great Plains, down to Florida and Texas, and east to the Atlantic coast. In the wild it is found in many different habitats, from woods and savannas to power line clearings and wet meadows.

Generally, this plant prefers sun and moist habitats, but it will tolerate dry conditions when established. I have two groups growing in full sun, and they are doing better than the group that is in part shade. It is hardy in USDA zones 4-9. A versatile plant for many situations.

Zizia is a great front-of-the-border plant, with its leaves growing to 12-18″. The flowers will add another 12′ to the height. The leaves are interesting compound leaves, with 3-5 smaller oval leaflets on each stem.

You can tell from the flower what plant family it is in – the Parsley (Apiaceae) family, along with Queen Anne’s lace and carrots. In my garden it flowers in early June, so it is one of the earliest perennials for pollinators. Multiple kinds of bees, wasps, and butterflies visit the flower for its nectar, and the books say that the black swallowtail butterfly use Zizia as a host plant, but I haven’t seen any yet.

Before the flowers bloom, and after they are over the plant is a neat mound of green that lasts all summer. Usually I leave the dried flower stems, but sometimes I will cut them off in July if I want to better showcase what is blooming behind it. As with most perennials, it dies to the ground in the winter, and the new leaves start emerging in late April.

If you are still looking for native plants to add to your border, I heartily recommend you try a Zizia plant or three – I am so glad I found this plant!