White Meadowsweet vs Capilano Apricot - TreeTime.ca

White Meadowsweet vs Capilano Apricot

Spiraea alba

Prunus Capilano

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

White Meadowsweet
Capilano Apricot

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.

Capilano Apricot is a cold-hardy variety known for its sweet, juicy, full-flavored fruit. It produces white to pink blooms in early spring, before the leaves emerge, followed by golden-yellow, freestone apricots. They ripen from mid-July to early August and are well-suited for fresh eating, baking, wine, canning, and preserves.

The Capilano Apricot originated from three trees planted in Edmonton’s Capilano neighbourhood during the 1960s. As they began producing fruit, local fruit enthusiasts took notice and propagated the trees, with the southernmost becoming particularly popular. Though the original trees no longer exist, the Capilano Apricot remains a widely sought-after cold-hardy variety.

Capilano Apricot is generally considered self-pollinating, but planting with another variety for cross-pollination can increase yields.

Note: The early bloom time makes the flowers vulnerable to spring frosts, which can reduce or eliminate the fruit crop

White Meadowsweet Quick Facts

Capilano Apricot Quick Facts

Zone: 3a
Zone: 3b
Height: 1.2 m (4 ft)
Height: 8 m (25 ft)
Spread: 0.9 m (3 ft)
Spread: 6 m (20 ft)
Light: partial shade, full sun
Light: full sun
Moisture: normal, wet
Moisture: normal
Growth rate: fast
Growth rate: medium
Life span: short
Life span: medium
Growth form: spreading to rounded
Spreading: suckering - low
Suckering: high


Fall colour: golden yellow
Flowers: white, small
Flowers: white to pink
Bloom time: early spring
Fruit: freestone apricots
Fruit size: 5cm in diameter
Flavor: sweet, slightly tart
Harvest: mid summer
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Native to: AB, SK, MB, ON, QC, NS, NB, NL, PE
Other Names: mead wort, meadowsweet, narrowleaf meadowsweet, pale bridewort, pipestem