Green Bulrush vs Fireweed - TreeTime.ca

Green Bulrush vs Fireweed

Scirpus pallidus

Chamaenerion angustifolium (Epilobium angustifolium)

CUSTOM GROW

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

Green Bulrush
Fireweed

Green Bulrush is a common waterside plant, suitable for erosion control and land reclamation. Despite this, Green Bulrush is very drought resistant once established. Bulrushes can cool nearby areas on hot days.

Unlike many of the other waterside plants available, Green Bulrush does not attract wildlife. This makes it a good choice for surrounding residential water sources.

Green Bulrush is topped with spiky balls of florets, green in the spring and fading to brown in the fall.

Fireweed is a native perennial wildflower known for its tall spikes of bright pink to purple blooms. Its long-lasting summer flowers are an important nectar source for pollinators such as bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds, while its seeds provide food for birds. Its showy, long-lasting display makes it visually striking in naturalized plantings.

Fireweed gets its namesake because it is often one of the first species to return after wildfires, supporting ecosystem recovery. Its wind-dispersed seeds allow it to spread readily, making it highly effective in large-scale restoration, revegetation, and naturalization projects.
Fireweed is the Provincial Flower of the Yukon.

Green Bulrush Quick Facts

Fireweed Quick Facts

Zone: 1a
Zone: 1a
Height: 1.5 m (5 ft)
Height: 1.2 m (4 ft)
Spread: 0.9 m (3 ft)
Spread: 0.6 m (2.0 ft)
Light: full sun
Light: partial shade, full sun
Moisture: wet
Moisture: normal, wet
Growth rate: fast
Growth rate: fast
Life span: short
Life span: short
Growth form: upright, dense, colony-forming
Spreading: seeds - high, rhizomes - high
Suckering: medium
Maintenance: medium


Foliage: long thin whitish green
Flowers: green spiked clusters
Flowers: pink-purple spikes
Bloom time: mid summer to fall
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Native to: AB, BC, SK, MB, ON
Native to: AB, BC, SK, MB, ON, QC, NS, NB, NL, YT, NT, NU, PE
Other Names: cloaked bulrush, pale bulrush, pale-green bulrush
Other Names: fire weed, great willowherb, rosebay willowherb, willow herb