Thunderchild Flowering Crab vs Hairy Golden Aster - TreeTime.ca

Thunderchild Flowering Crab vs Hairy Golden Aster

Malus x adstringens Thunderchild

Heterotheca villosa

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Thunderchild Flowering Crab
Hairy Golden Aster

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.

Hairy Golden Aster is a native perennial wildflower known for its clusters of bright yellow, daisy-like blooms. They bloom from mid-summer into fall, providing late-season colour and a valuable nectar source for pollinators, including a variety of bee species.

Flowers mature into fluffy seed heads and can self-seed readily. Removing spent blooms helps manage their spread, but some people will choose to leave a few seed heads to provide food for birds. Hairy Golden Aster grow in bushy clumps, tolerates poor sandy soils, and once established, are among the most drought-tolerant wildflowers. They are well-suited for pollinator gardens, restoration, naturalization, and xeriscaping projects.

As a perennial, it dies back to the crown each winter, it will regrow from the base in the spring. Avoid disturbing the crown during late winter to ensure healthy growth the following season.

Thunderchild Flowering Crab Quick Facts

Hairy Golden Aster Quick Facts

Zone: 3a
Zone: 3a
Height: 5 m (15 ft)
Height: 0.5 m (1.5 ft)
Spread: 4 m (12 ft)
Spread: 0.5 m (1.5 ft)
Light: full sun
Light: full sun
Moisture: normal
Moisture: dry, normal
Growth rate: medium
Growth rate: fast
Life span: medium
Life span: short
Growth form: upright, clump-forming
Spreading: seeds - high, rhizomes - medium
Suckering: none
Maintenance: medium


Foliage: dark purple leaves
Fall colour: dark red
Flowers: dark pink blossoms
Flowers: bright yellow, daisy-like
Bloom time: mid summer to early fall
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


Other Names: hairy false golden aster, hairy false goldenaster, hairy goldenaster