Baltic Rush vs Hairy Golden Aster - TreeTime.ca

Baltic Rush vs Hairy Golden Aster

Heterotheca villosa

Juncus balticus

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

CUSTOM GROW

Hairy Golden Aster
Baltic Rush

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.

Baltic Rush is a widespread native perennial rush that forms dense clumps of upright, cylindrical stems. Well adapted to saturated soils, it is common in wetlands, streambanks, and riparian zones, and is tolerant of both fresh and saline conditions. Hardy and low-maintenance, Baltic Rush contributes to soil stabilization and enhances wetland habitats.

It offers cover for small animals, nesting habitat for birds, and limited forage for livestock when young and tender. Its dense growth and rhizome networks add structural diversity that supports wetland ecosystems, making it well-suited for riparian planting, shoreline stabilization, wetland restoration, and reclamation projects.

Hairy Golden Aster Quick Facts

Baltic Rush Quick Facts

Zone: 3a
Zone: 2a
Height: 0.5 m (1.5 ft)
Height: 0.5 m (1.5 ft)
Spread: 0.5 m (1.5 ft)
Spread: 0.5 m (1.5 ft)
Light: full sun
Light: partial shade, full sun
Moisture: dry, normal
Moisture: normal, wet
Growth rate: fast
Growth rate: fast
Life span: short
Life span: short
Growth form: upright, clump-forming
Growth form: colony-forming, sometimes in lines
Spreading: seeds - high, rhizomes - medium
Spreading: rhizomes - medium, seeds - low
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
Native to: AB, BC, SK, MB, ON, QC, NS, NB, NL, YT, NT, NU, PE
Other Names: hairy false golden aster, hairy false goldenaster, hairy goldenaster
Other Names: wire rush, wiregrass