Bearberry vs Prairie Crocus - TreeTime.ca

Bearberry vs Prairie Crocus

Arctostaphylos uva-ursi

Pulsatilla nuttalliana (Anemone patens)

COMING SOON

(new stock expected: fall of 2026)

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

Bearberry
Prairie Crocus

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.

Prairie Crocus is a native perennial wildflower that is often considered one of the first signs of spring. The flowers can range from purple, pale blue, to white and often appear before the snow has fully melted. It can bloom a month earlier than other spring flowers, providing an early source of pollen for a variety of pollinators.

The plant is covered in woolly white hairs, including the finely divided leaves, giving them a silvery appearance. Prairie Crocus leaves do not fully emerge until after it has bloomed. The spent blooms transform into fluffy, feathery seed heads. During the hot summer months, the Prairie Crocus goes dormant and will repeat its life cycle the following spring.

The Prairie Crocus is Manitoba’s provincial flower.

Bearberry Quick Facts

Prairie Crocus Quick Facts

Zone: 1b
Zone: 1b
Height: 0.1 m (0.3 ft)
Height: 0.2 m (0.5 ft)
Spread: 0.9 m (3 ft)
Spread: 0.2 m (0.5 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: low growing, clump-forming
Spreading: seeds - medium, rhizomes - low
Suckering: medium


Toxicity: all parts toxic if eaten, sap can irritate skin
Foliage: leathery, evergreen
Foliage: fuzzy, finely divided leaves
Flowers: small, purple-white
Flowers: pale purple, cup-shaped
Bloom time: early spring
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, YT, NT, NU
Other Names: kinnikinnick, mealberry, sandberry
Other Names: american pasqueflower, crocus anemone, pasqueflower, prairie pasqueflower, prairie smoke