Golden Alexanders are an essential native perennial for bridging the gap between spring bulbs and summer blooms. As one of the earliest herbaceous natives to flower—often appearing before the last frost has even passed—these plants offer a critical food source for short-tongued insects and foraging bees when little else is available. The plant forms an attractive, three-foot clump of dark green, compound foliage topped with bright yellow, flat-topped flower clusters that resemble a golden Queen Anne's Lace. Beyond its beauty, this member of the carrot family is a powerhouse for biodiversity. It serves as a vital host plant for Black Swallowtail caterpillars, who feed on its leaves, and thrives in a wide range of conditions from sunny meadows to dappled woodlands. Because it tolerates both wet and dry soils, it is an excellent candidate for rain gardens, pond edges, or difficult spots where you want to establish a self-seeding, low-maintenance drift of color. Note that seeds often benefit from a period of cold stratification to wake them up. This local ecotype seed is of Hudson Valley wild origin and has been scaled for production on our farm in Accord, NY. Cold Stratification Required - See Growing Instructions for details. PollinateHV is a collaboration between the Hudson Valley Seed Company and The Understory in support of threatened native pollinators. We worked with a team of expert botanists, seed collectors, nursery growers and farmers to produce local ecotype native seeds to support at-risk Hudson Valley pollinators. You can find more information about this project at pollinatehv.org/seed-work. Learn more about the Hudson Valley's threatened pollinators and find resources to install pollinator habitat at all scales at pollinatehv.org.
