Buddliea

[Exeldama]

I need some good advice here. Implanting a native wildlife hedge imformally in a few weeks, but im also looking at the idea of using Hebe and more likely buddleia. i know neither are native... but support lots of bees and butterflies.

Now i dont want to do it if they take over or cause problems so is there a clever person out there who knows of any thinking on buddliea in woodland. (not as a hedge in case i misled).

[Ambo]

Hi

I would not risk planting that stuff, buddliea is invasive and also self sowing

It would only compete with your trees i.e. nutrients

It prefers more open ground anyway

Why not try ( if you have any clearings) to encourage native wild flowers, alot of them flower right through the summer months

Bees also like water fairly close by, stick to native species if you can

[jillybean]

I have loads of Honeysuckle merrily sprouting in my wood, the bees love it.

[Stephen1]

Hi Exeldama

Planting Buddleia in most woodlands is unlikely cause a big problem. It's only invasive on open disturbed sites (i.e. full sun and at least very small patches of bare earth for its seeds to get going). However under the shady canopy of woodland it produces very few flowers - and the flowers it does produce hold dramatically less nectar - so the characteristics that make it so attractive to butterflies/hoverflies etc. vanish when it's in woodland.

I agree with Ambo - the way to ensure a good nectar supply is through the ground flora, rather than bushes and trees. It's pretty tricky though to get a good supply right through summer though - one of the few that's easy to acheive is the much maligned bramble.

If your woodland has been planted on ex-agricultural land you'll really struggle to establish native wildflowers, and the issue becomes more difficult. In those circumstances you sometimes have to really spend some time on the philosophy of the native/non-native question - some of the only flowers to do well on ex-agricultural soils below a canopy of trees are non-native- although still very attractive/valuable to much of our wildlife.

[Darren]

We have a few Buddleia in our woods. Hasn't really spread. It mightbe worth doing what gardners do and prune it back down to near ground level every winter. This will make it produce more flowers in the summer for the butterflies and bees.

[Exeldama]

Thanking thee muchly, forest folk. I shall contemplate my options carefully and errr decide. Ta.