Slender Wheatgrass vs Hairy Golden Aster - TreeTime.ca

Slender Wheatgrass vs Hairy Golden Aster

Elymus trachycaulus

Heterotheca villosa

SOLD OUT

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

Slender Wheatgrass
Hairy Golden Aster

Slender Wheatgrass is a native perennial bunchgrass common across North America. It establishes quickly, making it effective for site recovery.
It produces upright seed heads that provide seasonal interest and seed for wildlife, and favoured for browsing by elk and sheep. Its seeds are eaten by birds and small mammals, and it provides cover for wildlife.
Slender Wheatgrass is among the first native grasses used for reclamation in western Canada and the U.S. It does exceptionally well in saline soils.

Hairy Golden Aster is a native perennial wildflower known for its clusters of bright yellow, daisy-like blooms. They bloom from mid-summer into fall, providing late-season colour and a valuable nectar source for pollinators, including a variety of bee species.

Flowers mature into fluffy seed heads and can self-seed readily. Removing spent blooms helps manage their spread, but some people will choose to leave a few seed heads to provide food for birds. Hairy Golden Aster grow in bushy clumps, tolerates poor sandy soils, and once established, are among the most drought-tolerant wildflowers. They are well-suited for pollinator gardens, restoration, naturalization, and xeriscaping projects.

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.

Slender Wheatgrass Quick Facts

Hairy Golden Aster Quick Facts

Zone: 1b
Zone: 3a
Height: 0.8 m (2.5 ft)
Height: 0.5 m (1.5 ft)
Spread: 0.5 m (1.5 ft)
Spread: 0.5 m (1.5 ft)
Light: partial shade, full sun
Light: full sun
Moisture: any
Moisture: dry, normal
Growth rate: fast
Growth rate: fast
Life span: short
Life span: short
Growth form: upright, clump-forming
Growth form: upright, clump-forming
Spreading: tillering - high, seeds - medium
Spreading: seeds - high, rhizomes - medium
Maintenance: medium


Flowers: bright yellow, daisy-like
Bloom time: mid summer to early 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, BC, SK, MB, ON
Other Names: slender wildrye, western wheatgrass
Other Names: hairy false golden aster, hairy false goldenaster, hairy goldenaster