White Meadowsweet vs Fireweed - TreeTime.ca

White Meadowsweet vs Fireweed

Chamaenerion angustifolium (Epilobium angustifolium)

Spiraea alba

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

Fireweed
White Meadowsweet

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.

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.

Fireweed Quick Facts

White Meadowsweet Quick Facts

Zone: 1a
Zone: 3a
Height: 1.2 m (4 ft)
Height: 1.2 m (4 ft)
Spread: 0.6 m (2.0 ft)
Spread: 0.9 m (3 ft)
Light: partial shade, full sun
Light: partial shade, full sun
Moisture: normal, 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: high
Maintenance: medium


Fall colour: golden yellow
Flowers: pink-purple spikes
Flowers: white, small
Bloom time: mid summer to fall
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Native to: AB, BC, SK, MB, ON, QC, NS, NB, NL, YT, NT, NU, PE
Native to: AB, SK, MB, ON, QC, NS, NB, NL, PE
Other Names: fire weed, great willowherb, rosebay willowherb, willow herb
Other Names: mead wort, meadowsweet, narrowleaf meadowsweet, pale bridewort, pipestem