Forsythia are native to China
Forsythia have not been known for very long in our part of the world. It was not until 1833 that the bushes found their way from China to our gardens.
also read
- Forsythia are only slightly toxic to cats
- Forsythia are not poisonous to dogs
- The best time to plant forsythia
the Forsythia (forsythia x intermedia) belongs to the olive family. It is an artificial breed, a so-called hybrid, which is derived from species f. x suspensa and f. x viridissima was created.
The dry flowers are no pasture for bees
Like all hybrids, the flowers of the forsythia rarely produce pollen or nectar. The gardener calls this "dry flowers". The shrub is therefore almost exclusively made from cuttings and sinks increased.
Forsythia is completely worthless to bees. You can't collect nectar to make honey from.
If you yourself observe a forsythia bush in bloom, you will find that the flowers are not approached by bees. Sporadic bees are harbingers that turn off very quickly when they notice that they cannot find any food here.
Forsythias do not belong in near-natural gardens
Because of their dry flowers, like cherry laurel, forsythia do not belong in a near-natural garden - with one exception!
Of course, there is nothing wrong with planting a forsythia if there are enough other early bloomers in the garden. This is important so that the bees can find enough food for their offspring in spring.
Exception: Forsythia "Beatrix Farrand"
One is little known and therefore rarely planted Forsythia varietythat forms pollen. This is the “Beatrix Farrand” variety.
This variety is therefore also well suited for natural gardens. It forms large, dark yellow flowers that bees like to fly to.
It is suitable for planting as Forsythia hedge or individually as an eye-catcher on the fence or in the bed.
Tips & Tricks
If you don't want to do without the pretty spring bloomers, plant native shrubs and flowers to compensate. You can find an overview of suitable early bloomers at BUND or NABU, for example.
