Yellow Hedysarum vs Early Blue Violet - TreeTime.ca

Yellow Hedysarum vs Early Blue Violet

Hedysarum sulphurescens

Viola adunca

CUSTOM GROW

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

Yellow Hedysarum
Early Blue Violet

Yellow Hedysarum is a native perennial wildflower recognized for its clusters of pale yellow to creamy-white, pea-like blooms. Flowering from late spring into summer, it adds subtle colour to grasslands, roadsides, and open woods while attracting a variety of pollinators, especially bumblebees.

As a nitrogen-fixing plant, Yellow Hedysarum enriches soils and supports the growth of surrounding vegetation. Its deep taproot and extensive root system make it drought-tolerant and effective at stabilizing soil. Grizzly bears are known to dig up and eat the nutritious taproot. Its resilience and ecological value make it well-suited for restoration, naturalization, pollinator gardens, and erosion control projects.

Early Blue Violet is a low-growing native perennial wildflower valued for its striking early-spring blooms. The flowers range in color from vibrant blue to deep violet, often marked with pale highlights and fine white hairs. They provide an important early nectar source for pollinators and serve as a host plant for several fritillary butterfly species.

It spreads by both seed and rhizomes, gradually forming small colonies. Its dark green, heart-shaped leaves add ornamental appeal, and the plant shows some resistance to deer browsing. Early Blue Violet is well-suited to naturalization projects and pollinator-friendly gardens, and has also been used in coastal butterfly habitat restoration in the Pacific Northwest.

Yellow Hedysarum Quick Facts

Early Blue Violet Quick Facts

Zone: 2b
Zone: 2a
Height: 0.5 m (1.5 ft)
Height: 0.1 m (0.3 ft)
Spread: 0.2 m (0.8 ft)
Spread: 0.2 m (0.5 ft)
Light: partial shade, full sun
Light: partial shade, full sun
Moisture: dry, normal
Moisture: dry, normal
Growth rate: fast
Growth rate: fast
Life span: short
Life span: short
Growth form: ascending to upright
Growth form: low growing, clump-forming
Spreading: seeds - low
Spreading: seeds - medium, rhizomes - medium
Maintenance: medium


Toxicity: rhizomes, fruit, seed poisonous to humans
Flowers: creamy yellow, in dense spikes
Flowers: purple to blue-violet
Bloom time: late spring to summer
Bloom time: mid spring to early summer
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Native to: AB, BC
Native to: AB, BC, SK, MB, ON, QC, NS, NB, YT, NT
Other Names: sulphur hedysarum, sulphur sweet-vetch, yellow sweet-vetch
Other Names: dog violet, hookedspur violet, sand violet, western blue violet