White Meadowsweet vs Purple Prairie Clover - TreeTime.ca

White Meadowsweet vs Purple Prairie Clover

Dalea purpurea

Spiraea alba

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON

Purple Prairie Clover
White Meadowsweet

Purple Prairie Clover is a native perennial wildflower known for its striking purple blooms. The flower heads grow as dense spikes on tall stems, with each flower head containing many tiny blossoms. Blooming for 4–6 weeks in the summer, it attracts a variety of pollinators, including bees and butterflies.

The high protein content of the Purple Prairie Clover makes it excellent forage for wildlife and birds like to feed on its seeds. As a nitrogen-fixing plant, it enriches the soil, improving fertility and benefiting nearby vegetation. These ecological contributions make it a great choice for pollinator gardens, prairie & rangeland restoration, naturalization, and re-vegetation efforts.

This drought and heat-tolerant plant thrives in various soil conditions, including rocky soil, making it remarkably easy to grow in challenging environments. As a perennial, it dies back to the crown each winter, it will regrow from the base in the spring. Avoid disturbing the crown during late winter to ensure healthy growth the following season.

White Meadowsweet is a woody, deciduous shrub that begins to bloom in early summer with small white and pink flowers. Its foliage turns from a light green into an attractive golden-yellow later in the fall.

The White Meadowsweet, also known as Mead-Wort or Bride-Wort, is favored by birds and butterflies but is largely ignored by deer. They produce small brown berries in the summer, and while they are technically edible, they are not sweet and are more desired by wildlife.

Purple Prairie Clover Quick Facts

White Meadowsweet Quick Facts

Zone: 3a
Zone: 3a
Height: 0.6 m (2.0 ft)
Height: 1.2 m (4 ft)
Spread: 0.3 m (1.0 ft)
Spread: 0.9 m (3 ft)
Moisture: dry, normal
Moisture: normal, wet
Light: full sun
Light: partial shade, full sun
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no
Fall colour: golden yellow
Flowers: purple flowers in dense cone-like heads
Flowers: white, small
Growth rate: very fast
Growth rate: fast
Life span: short
Life span: short
Suckering: none
Suckering: high




Other Names: violet prairie-clover
Other Names: mead wort, meadowsweet, narrowleaf meadowsweet, pale bridewort, pipestem