Burning Bush vs Bilberry - TreeTime.ca

Burning Bush vs Bilberry

Vaccinium myrtillus

Euonymus alatus

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COMING SOON

(new stock expected: fall of 2025)

Bilberry
Burning Bush

American Black Currant is a native deciduous shrub known for its clusters of small black berries that ripen in mid-to-late summer. The berries are edible and have long been used for fresh eating, preserves, and baking. They provide food for birds and mammals, and their fragrant spring flowers attract bees and other pollinators.

American Black Currant’s foliage serves as a host plant for butterfly species such as the Green Comma and Gray Comma, and its dense branching offers cover for wildlife. The shrub has traditionally been planted in shelterbelts, riparian buffers, and restoration projects.

Burning Bush is a unique shrub whose leaves turn firey red in the fall. You can plant it in rows to make a hedge or on its own. Burning Bush requires little maintenance and thrives in just about any kind of soil, which makes it a good choice for inexperienced growers. Plant it in full sun to get its best fall color.

Note: Burning Bush is considered an invasive species in eastern North America. Please plant the right tree in the right place.

Bilberry Quick Facts

Burning Bush Quick Facts

Zone: 3a
Zone: 4a
Height: 0.3 m (1.0 ft)
Height: 5 m (15 ft)
Spread: 0.5 m (1.5 ft)
Spread: 3 m (10 ft)
Light: partial shade, full sun
Light: any
Moisture: normal
Moisture: normal
Growth rate: slow
Growth rate: slow
Life span: medium
Life span: long
Growth form: low growing, clump-forming
Spreading: rhizomes - medium, seeds - medium
Suckering: medium

Toxicity: leaves may be unsafe in high doses

Fall colour: fiery red
Flowers: white or pink, bell-shaped
Flowers: yellow-green
Bloom time: summer
Berries: round bluish-purple berries, edible
Berries: reddish purple
Flavor: sweet
Harvest: late summer to early fall
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Native to: AB, BC
Other Names: common bilberry, dwarf bilberry, low bilberry, myrtille, myrtle blueberry, myrtle whortleberry, whortleberry
Other Names: winged burning bush, winged euonymus, winged spindle