Black Hawthorn vs Bilberry - TreeTime.ca

Black Hawthorn vs Bilberry

Crataegus douglasii

Vaccinium myrtillus

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

CUSTOM GROW

Black Hawthorn
Bilberry

Black Hawthorn is a versatile plant that is native to wetlands and other areas with moist soils, but can also tolerate dry soils. This plant can be grown as a short shrub, or a tree reaching 30 feet tall.

Black Hawthorn is valued for erosion control and attracting pollinators. It also makes an attractive flowering ornamental that can be planted as a specimen or pruned as a hedge. It is commonly used in shelterbelts.

Bilberry is a native perennial shrub valued for its small, blue-black berries that ripen in mid to late summer. The berries resemble blueberries but have a richer, more tart, and intense flavor. They have long been used for fresh eating, baking, and preserves, while also providing food for birds and mammals. In spring, its delicate pinkish flowers attract bees and other pollinators.

Growing low to the ground, Bilberry forms spreading colonies that create dense understory cover. This growth habit provides food and shelter for wildlife, and its foliage adds seasonal interest by turning red to purple in autumn. With its adaptability and ecological benefits, Bilberry is well-suited for naturalization, ecological restoration, and pollinator gardens.

Black Hawthorn Quick Facts

Bilberry Quick Facts

Zone: 3a
Zone: 3a
Height: 8 m (25 ft)
Height: 0.3 m (1.0 ft)
Spread: 5 m (15 ft)
Spread: 0.5 m (1.5 ft)
Light: partial shade, full sun
Light: partial shade, full sun
Moisture: any
Moisture: normal
Growth rate: medium
Growth rate: slow
Life span: medium
Life span: medium
Growth form: low growing, clump-forming
Spreading: rhizomes - medium, seeds - medium
Suckering: medium


Toxicity: leaves may be unsafe in high doses
Foliage: contains thorns
Fall colour: yellow to red
Bark: brown to gray
Flowers: white
Flowers: white or pink, bell-shaped
Bloom time: summer
Berries: purplish-black pomes
Berries: round bluish-purple berries, edible
Flavor: sweet
Harvest: late summer to early fall
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Native to: AB, BC, SK, ON
Native to: AB, BC
Other Names: crataegus columbiana, douglas hawthorn, douglas' thornapple
Other Names: common bilberry, dwarf bilberry, low bilberry, myrtille, myrtle blueberry, myrtle whortleberry, whortleberry