- Forsythia originally comes from China
- The dry flowers are not pasture for bees
- Forsythia do not belong in natural gardens
- Exception: Forsythia "Beatrix Farrand"
- tips and tricks
Many gardeners plant forsythias because their golden yellow colors make them a beautiful sight in the spring garden. They assume that so many flowers will also attract many bees. Unfortunately this is a mistake. For the honey collectors, the bushes are completely useless.
Only the forsythia "Beatrix Farrand" produces nectar and pollen and thus attracts bees
Forsythia originally comes from China
Forsythia has not been known in our latitudes for that long. It was not until 1833 that the shrubs found their way into our gardens from China.
Forsythia (forsythia x intermedia) belongs to the olive tree family. It is an artificial breed, a so-called hybrid, which arose from the species f. x suspensa and f. x viridissima.
The dry flowers are not 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 propagated almost exclusively via cuttings and sinkers.
Forsythia is completely worthless to bees. They cannot collect nectar to produce honey from.
If you observe a flowering forsythia bush yourself, you will find that the flowers are not flown to by bees. Sporadically appearing bees are harbingers that quickly turn away again when they realize that they can't find any food here.
Forsythia do not belong in natural gardens
Because of their dry flowers, forsythia just like the cherry laurel does not belong in a 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 the offspring in the spring.
Exception: Forsythia "Beatrix Farrand"
Little known and therefore rarely planted is a forsythia variety that produces 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 a forsythia hedge or individually as an eye-catcher on the fence or in the bed.
tips and tricks
If you don't want to do without the pretty spring flowers, plant native shrubs and flowers to compensate. An overview of suitable early bloomers can be found, for example, at BUND or NABU.