Native woody shrub crown vetch

Flowering : The flowering period is unusually long and lasts from April to August. This pleases not only the countless wild bees but also humans, as the lush, nodding legume flowers in bright yellow are extremely decorative and provide a good long-distance effect.

Plant: The deciduous, often evergreen small shrub with angular branches and rich green, pinnate leaves grows bushy and upright to a height of 0.5-1.5 m and a width of 1.5-1.8 m, depending on the location. Some butterfly caterpillars and beetles feed on the leaves, which also contributes to the high ecological value of this plant.

Site and climate requirements: It prefers a sunny to semi-shady, dry location with well-drained, sandy-humus soil with a normal nutrient content, which should be calcareous and never acidic. The plant is also suitable for larger containers; a drainage layer with good drainage is important at the bottom.

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.