Birch Leaf Spirea vs Hairy Golden Aster - TreeTime.ca

Birch Leaf Spirea vs Hairy Golden Aster

Spiraea betulifolia

Heterotheca villosa

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

Birch Leaf Spirea
Hairy Golden Aster

Birch Leaf Meadowsweet is a small, rounded shrub, reaching 3 to 4 feet high.

In the early summer, white flowers emerge with dark green foliage. Come fall, birch-like leaves turn a kaleidoscope of red, orange, and purple adding seasonal interest.

Native to Japan and Eastern Asia, this dwarf shrub attracts butterflies and is an excellent option for the front row of a shrub border.

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.

Birch Leaf Spirea Quick Facts

Hairy Golden Aster Quick Facts

Zone: 4a
Zone: 3a
Height: 0.9 m (3 ft)
Height: 0.5 m (1.5 ft)
Spread: 0.9 m (3 ft)
Spread: 0.5 m (1.5 ft)
Light: full sun
Light: full sun
Moisture: normal, wet
Moisture: dry, normal
Growth rate: medium
Growth rate: fast
Life span: short
Life span: short
Growth form: upright, clump-forming
Spreading: seeds - high, rhizomes - medium
Suckering: none
Maintenance: medium


Flowers: bright yellow, daisy-like
Bloom time: mid summer to early fall
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Native to: AB, BC, SK, MB, ON
Other Names: birch leaf meadowsweet, shiny leaf spirea, white spirea
Other Names: hairy false golden aster, hairy false goldenaster, hairy goldenaster