Purple Prairie Clover vs Twinflower - TreeTime.ca

Purple Prairie Clover vs Twinflower

Dalea purpurea

Linnaea borealis

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

CUSTOM GROW

Purple Prairie Clover
Twinflower

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.

Twinflower is a native, trailing evergreen ground cover known for its delicate flowers that grow in nodding pairs. These pale pink blooms are described as being sweetly fragrant, attracting native bees and other pollinators.
Growing in cool, moist, acidic soils, the trailing stems form roots as they spread and start to form mats across the forest floor. Due to its woody stem, it is technically classified as a shrub and often referred to as a subshrub or dwarf shrub. This species is well-suited for naturalization, restoration, and conservation projects.
Twinflower (Linneae borealis) was named in honour of Carl Linnaeus, who adopted it as his personal emblem.

Purple Prairie Clover Quick Facts

Twinflower Quick Facts

Zone: 3a
Zone: 2a
Height: 0.6 m (2.0 ft)
Height: 0.1 m (0.4 ft)
Spread: 0.3 m (1.0 ft)
Spread: 0.9 m (3 ft)
Light: full sun
Light: any
Moisture: dry, normal
Moisture: normal, wet
Growth rate: very fast
Growth rate: slow
Life span: short
Life span: short
Growth form: creeping or trailing, ground cover
Spreading: stolons - medium, seeds - low
Suckering: none


Fall colour: reddish tinge
Flowers: purple flowers in dense cone-like heads
Flowers: Pink, bell-shaped, fragrant pairs
Bloom time: mid summer
Bloom time: summer
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Native to: AB, SK, MB, ON
Native to: AB, BC, SK, MB, ON, QC, NS, NB, NL, YT, NT, NU, PE
Other Names: violet prairie-clover
Other Names: northern twinflower, pink bells