Content
- For bees forsythia are unfortunately completely worthless
- Forsythia are originally from China
- The dry flowers are not bee pasture
- Forsythia does not belong in natural gardens
- Exception: forsythia "Beatrix Farrand"
- Tips & Tricks
Only the forsythia "Beatrix Farrand" forms nectar and pollen and thus attracts bees
For bees forsythia are unfortunately completely worthless
Many gardeners plant forsythia because they are a beautiful sight in the spring garden with their golden yellow colors. They assume that so many flowers will also attract many bees. This is unfortunately a mistake. For the honey gatherers, the shrubs are completely useless.
Forsythia is one of the mildly poisonous ornamental shrubs Next article Pull the forsythia as bonsaiForsythia are originally from China
Forsythia is not known in our latitudes for so long. Only in 1833 did the shrubs find their way from China to our gardens.
The forsythia (forsythia x intermedia) belongs to the family of olive trees. It is an artificial breeding, a so-called hybrid, which consists of the species f. x suspensa and f. x viridissima has arisen.
The dry flowers are not bee pasture
Like all hybrids, the flowers of forsythia rarely produce pollen or nectar. The gardener calls this "dry flowers". The shrub is therefore propagated almost exclusively over cuttings and sinkers.
For bees, forsythia is completely worthless. They can not collect nectar to produce honey.
If you yourself observe a blooming forsythia smoke, you notice that the flowers are not flown by bees. Occasionally occurring bees are harbingers, who quickly turn off again when they realize that they find no food here.
Forsythia does not belong in natural gardens
Due to their dry flowers, forsythia, like the cherry laurel, does not belong in a natural garden - with one exception!
Of course, there's nothing wrong with planting a forsythia when there are plenty of other early-flowering plants in the garden. This is important for the bees to find enough food for their offspring in the spring.
Exception: forsythia "Beatrix Farrand"
Little known and therefore rarely planted is a forsythia variety that forms pollen. It is the variety "Beatrix Farrand".
This variety is therefore well suited for natural gardens. It makes large, dark yellow flowers that are liked by bees.
It is suitable for planting as a forsythia hedge or as a single eye-catcher on the fence or in the bed.
Tips & Tricks
If you do not want to give up the pretty spring flowers, plant local shrubs and flowers to compensate. An overview of suitable early flowering plants can be found, for example, at BUND or NABU.