Thunderchild Flowering Crab vs Wood Lily - TreeTime.ca

Thunderchild Flowering Crab vs Wood Lily

Malus x adstringens Thunderchild

Lilium philadelphicum

COMING SOON

(new stock expected: fall of 2025)

CUSTOM GROW

Thunderchild Flowering Crab
Wood Lily

Thunderchild Flowering Crab is a hybrid crab apple known for its attractive and fragrant dark pink blossoms and deep purple mature leaves.

Tree farmers will find this hybrid appealing as a pollinator for other apples, while home growers will enjoy the red pome's ability to attract flocks of Cedar Waxwings in the early spring.

This species is reportedly resistant to fireblight.

Wood Lily is a native perennial wildflower known for its vibrant, trumpet-shaped blooms in shades of orange to red. Its showy flowers appear mid-summer and are highly visible in meadows and prairies. The upward-facing flowers are an important nectar source for many pollinators, including native bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds.
Unlike most lilies, the Wood Lily’s flowers face upward rather than nodding. It is slow to establish and may take years before flowering, but once mature, it requires little maintenance. It is well-suited for pollinator gardens, naturalisation projects, prairie restoration, and open woodland plantings.
Wood Lily is the provincial flower of Saskatchewan and North America’s most widespread lily. Despite its wide natural range, populations have been declining. Habitat loss, overgrazing by deer, and unsustainable picking have reduced both its abundance and density across many regions. These pressures highlight the importance of protecting and restoring this once-common wildflower.

Thunderchild Flowering Crab Quick Facts

Wood Lily Quick Facts

Zone: 3a
Zone: 2b
Height: 5 m (15 ft)
Height: 0.6 m (2.0 ft)
Spread: 4 m (12 ft)
Spread: 0.3 m (1.0 ft)
Light: full sun
Light: partial shade, full sun
Moisture: normal
Moisture: normal, wet
Growth rate: medium
Growth rate: medium
Life span: medium
Life span: short
Growth form: upright
Spreading: seeds - low
Suckering: none


Toxicity: toxic to cats
Foliage: dark purple leaves
Fall colour: dark red
Flowers: dark pink blossoms
Flowers: bright orange to red with dark spots
Bloom time: early to mid summer
Fruit: small red pomes that hang through the winter
Berries: small red pomes that hang through the winter
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Native to: AB, BC, SK, MB, ON, QC
Other Names: prairie wood lily, red lily, red wood lily