Harebell vs Yellow Mountain Avens - TreeTime.ca

Harebell vs Yellow Mountain Avens

Dryas drummondii

Campanula rotundifolia

CUSTOM GROW

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

Yellow Mountain Avens
Harebell

Yellow Mountain Avens is a native perennial wildflower with bright yellow buttercup-like blooms. The nectar-rich flowers attract a variety of pollinators, including bees and butterflies. By thriving at higher elevations, it helps sustain pollinator populations and provides one of the earliest sources of nectar and pollen in alpine habitats. After the blooms fade, the plant produces silky seed heads that begin as upright, compact tufts and gradually expand into rounded, fluffy clusters, adding texture and interest to the landscape.

As a nitrogen-fixing plant, Yellow Mountain Avens enriches soil fertility and supports the growth of surrounding vegetation. It forms dense, spreading mats of evergreen foliage that act as a groundcover and help stabilize soil. Often among the first species to establish in disturbed alpine sites such as glacial outwash or landslides, it is well-suited for alpine revegetation, erosion control, naturalization, and ecological restoration projects in harsh, rocky environments.

Harebell is a native perennial wildflower known for its bell-shaped, blue-violet flowers. The noddling blooms occur in clusters at the top of slender stems. Blooming in bursts from summer to fall, the flowers attract pollinators such as butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds.

Regular deadheading encourages additional blooms, extending its floral display through the season. Harebell prefers areas with cooler summer climates and does poorly in those that get too hot and humid. It is well suited for native wildflower gardens, pollinator gardens, and naturalization projects.

Yellow Mountain Avens Quick Facts

Harebell Quick Facts

Zone: 1b
Zone: 3a
Height: 0.2 m (0.5 ft)
Height: 0.3 m (1.0 ft)
Spread: 0.3 m (1.0 ft)
Spread: 0.3 m (1.0 ft)
Light: full sun
Light: partial shade, full sun
Moisture: dry, normal
Moisture: dry, normal
Growth rate: medium
Growth rate: very fast
Life span: short
Life span: short
Growth form: mat-forming, creeping
Spreading: stolons - medium, seeds - low
Suckering: none


Foliage: evergreen, leathery
Flowers: yellow, buttercup-like, nodding
Flowers: bluish-purple; bell-like
Bloom time: spring to summer
Bloom time: summer to early fall
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Native to: AB, BC, SK, ON, QC, NB, NL, YT, NT
Native to: AB, BC, SK, MB, ON, QC, NS, NB, NL, YT, NT, NU, PE
Other Names: drummonds dryad, drummonds mountain avens, yellow dryad
Other Names: bluebell, bluebell bellflower, bluebell of scotland, common harebell, cuckoos shoe, ladys thimble, scotch bluebell, scottish bluebell, witches thimble