Name: Bidens ferulifolia Goldilocks Rocks
Type of Plant: Low growing, almost shrubby annual for full sun.
Why I love this: Although I’ve been familiar with this Proven Winners annual for years, I’ve never planted Goldilocks Rocks Bidens in my own garden. The past summer I got to know this annual better, however, and I love how easy it was to grow. Each plant got to be about 12 inches high and eighteen inches around in my gardens and they have bloomed all summer with no care from me other than watering. Round yellow flowers and bright green, fine-textured foliage. This plant is said to be heat and drought tolerant but I did water the garden it was in every week to ten days. I also planted it with a combination of time-release and organic fertilizers…like most annuals, Goldilocks Rocks Bidens blooms on new growth so keeping up the fertility will mean better flowering.
A Word to the Wise: Just because a plant says that it’s drought tolerant doesn’t mean that it doesn’t do better with a regular soaking. Most plants that are drought tolerant don’t want to be hit with an automatic sprinkler system frequently, however, so be sure to water this one deeply but less often.
That said, this is a good plant to combine with something like geraniums in containers that can go a but dry in between waterings. It’s also a good annual for planting at a cemetery where watering is infrequent.
This is how my yellow Bidens Goldilocks Rocks looks on November 1st. Pretty darn nice, right? It was planted in this garden with Sunpatiens, Victoria Blue Salvia and Frosty Knight Lobularia. COLOR ALL SUMMER AND INTO THE FALL! No deadheading – each plant that you see here was at least 18″ in diameter.
