Native woody plant Faulbaum

Flower: The small yellow flowers are inconspicuous, but incredibly rich in nectar and pollen - and as the nectar is freely accessible, there is a large variety of species to collect it in May and June: in addition to honey bees, there are woodland-edge sand bees, blackthorn curly sand bees and furrow bees, as well as hoverflies, butterflies and beetles.

Fruit: Pea-sized, round drupes form from the flowers, turning from green to red and finally black from September. They then remain on the branches throughout the winter and serve as an important source of food for 36 different bird species and a good 10 small mammals during the cold season.

Plant: The alder buckthorn usually grows as a large shrub 2.5-5 m high and just under 2-3 m wide. The alder-like, green foliage, which turns yellow in autumn, is caterpillar food par excellence: 30 different butterflies live on the deciduous tree foliage, including the well-known lemon butterfly and the deciduous tree blue.

Site and climate requirements: The buckthorn is suitable for all damp and even occasionally waterlogged areas in the garden, whether at the edge of a stream or garden pond, in small hollows, damp meadows or at the overflow of cisterns. It grows in sandy to clayey, moderately nutrient-rich soil in a sunny to semi-shady location.

The value of a plant, apart from a monetary consideration, is determined by various functions. Plants produce oxygen, regulate the climate, protect the soil, provide us with food, fibers and other raw materials - and they form the basis of ecosystems that are all the more stable the more diverse they are. Plants provide habitats for countless organisms and promote biodiversity in a broad sense. In terms of this criterion, our native plants are far superior to so-called neophytes, i.e. plant species originating from other areas, as they safeguard the relationships and dependencies between flora and fauna that have developed in this country over thousands of years.

The closest relationships are between plants and insects. This goes so far that some insects live on just one plant species. If this is not present, for example because its habitat has been destroyed or it has been displaced by invasive neophytes, the insects that depend on it also die out - an observation that is as fascinating as it is tragic. This dependence can often be recognized by the name of the animals. The common viper's bugloss mason bee, for example, lives solely on the native common viper's bugloss, which also provides food for almost 40 other species of wild bees and butterflies.

But it is not only the flowers with their nectar and pollen supply that ensure the survival of insects, the stems and leaves of the plants are almost even more important, as they are used to build nests and are eaten by butterfly caterpillars, leaf wasp larvae and beetles. Over 90% of all herbivorous insects specialize in their food plants! This shows how important it is to have the most species-rich and ecologically valuable planting possible. Birds and small mammals such as dormice, dormice and squirrels feed on the seeds, berries, nuts and other fruits of plants. Their presence ensures the survival of the animals, especially in the cold season.

In the open countryside, many habitats are almost non-existent; for example, the dry, nutrient-poor sites with their very own flora or occasionally flooded, wet meadows. The use of pesticides or the progressive sealing and impoverishment of the landscape makes it difficult for plants and animals to find sufficient habitat and food. However, our gardens have great potential to at least counteract this and, by choosing the right (native) plants, can provide valuable biotopes and last refuges for animal species that have already become extremely rare, such as numerous butterflies that could be observed almost everywhere around 40 years ago.

In addition to our existing range of native plants in the areas of perennials, roses, flowers and flower bulbs, we now also offer selected native woody plants. Some of these are already endangered species themselves, such as the shrub crown vetch, or contribute to the survival of many of our garden animals, such as the buckthorn, which is the main food plant for the caterpillar of the now rare lemon butterfly.