Bearberry vs Hairy Golden Aster - TreeTime.ca

Bearberry vs Hairy Golden Aster

Arctostaphylos uva-ursi

Heterotheca villosa

COMING SOON

(new stock expected: fall of 2026)

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

Bearberry
Hairy Golden Aster

Bearberry is a dwarf shrub known for its creamy pink flowers and red edible fruits.

It is great as a filler in gardens and flowerbeds in place of invasive ground cover plants, like English Ivy.

Bearberry will attract hummingbirds, butterflies and bees to your property. It is one of the top 12 plants recommended by the Alberta Native Bee Council to support pollinators.

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.

Bearberry Quick Facts

Hairy Golden Aster Quick Facts

Zone: 1b
Zone: 3a
Height: 0.1 m (0.3 ft)
Height: 0.5 m (1.5 ft)
Spread: 0.9 m (3 ft)
Spread: 0.5 m (1.5 ft)
Light: partial shade, full sun
Light: full sun
Moisture: dry, normal
Moisture: dry, normal
Growth rate: slow
Growth rate: fast
Life span: medium
Life span: short
Growth form: upright, clump-forming
Spreading: seeds - high, rhizomes - medium
Suckering: medium
Maintenance: medium


Foliage: leathery, evergreen
Flowers: small, purple-white
Flowers: bright yellow, daisy-like
Bloom time: mid summer to early fall
Berries: small red berries
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Native to: AB, BC, SK, MB, ON, QC, NS, NB, NL, YT, NT, NU, PE
Native to: AB, BC, SK, MB, ON
Other Names: kinnikinnick, mealberry, sandberry
Other Names: hairy false golden aster, hairy false goldenaster, hairy goldenaster