Bee and butterfly charmers: our top five hidden gems
Do you also enjoy the fluttering of butterflies and the cosy hum of bees in your garden? They are not only beautiful to see but also essential for biodiversity. To make your garden bee- and butterfly-friendly there are well-known shrubs like the butterfly bush, ivy and lavender. But there are also beautiful, lesser-known shrubs that attract many butterflies, bees and other insects. We introduce you to our five favourite, lesser-known gems.
Diervilla (Diervilla)
Diervilla is a gorgeous shrub that flowers abundantly in summer with small yellow flowers. The young shoots are pink, red or orange, depending on the variety. If you like colour in your garden, go for the variegated Diervilla Kodiak® Mixx, with its fantastic pink young shoots.
St. John’s Wort (Hypericum)
Do you love yellow flowers too? Then choose Hypericum Sunny Boulevard. This beautiful shrub will spoil you from July to September with hundreds of bright yellow flowers with strikingly long stamens. In autumn the red-brown berries appear, which also look great in a vase.
Chastetree (Vitex)
Vitex Blue Diddley is a compact shrub that flowers in summer with beautiful lavender-blue flower panicles. They resemble the flowers of the butterfly bush. The flowers of Vitex spread a lovely fragrance. Also nice: the shrub can withstand heat and drought.
Rose of Sharon (Hibiscus)
For the romantics among us there is Hibiscus Sugar Tip. The large double flowers have a soft pink colour. Its prolonged flowering in late summer and autumn allows butterflies and bees to find pollen and food for an extra-long time. Sugar Tip has soft green leaves with creamy white margins.
Weigela (Weigela)
When Weigela Colourtwist© Sunny Side Up is flowering you automatically become happy! In late spring masses of white flowers with a sunny yellow heart appear, contrasting beautifully with the apple-green leaves. A real eye-catcher that brightens up your garden!
Do not hesitate to go for one of these special shrubs, they will surprise you with their beautiful flowers and long flowering period. In any case, butterflies and bees will be delighted and will certainly find your garden!