Forsythia as a melliferous plant is a large shrub or a short tree of the oil-bearing family. It is an early spring honey plant and pollen plant. In science, the bush is also called “forsythia” or “forsia”.
The content of the article
- 1 Distribution and Description
- 1.1 Varieties
- 2 Significance for agriculture
- 3 Agrotechnics
- 4 Honey productivity
Distribution and Description
The heat-loving forsythia is grown in the temperate and warm climates of European and Asian countries. In Ukraine and Russia, this brightly blooming culture is also popular with gardeners.
The tree can reach three or six meters in height. But for decorative purposes, it is customary to grow neat meter or two meter shrubs.
The branches of the plant are fragile, with a gray-brown rough bark. The dark green leaves are large, oblong, slightly oval in shape, oppositely located on the branches. Bell-shaped flowers are large, bright yellow in color. Pollinated only with the help of insects.
The shrub blooms in early spring. After the snow melts, the first fragrant flowers bloom on the bare branches. The flowering period lasts about 25 days. Then green leaves appear.
Long young shoots grow annually, on which golden flowers will bloom en masse in the spring of next year.
Varieties
In total, there are 13 types of forsythia in the genus. All of them are close in biological characteristics and are valued for their decorative effect.
The most common varieties are:
Oval or ovoid – a small half-meter sprawling winter-hardy shrub with yellowish bark and bright green leaves. This species is usually planted in central Russia. It does not need to be insulated. Blooms in April.
Drowned – a three-meter spreading shrub with arcuate reddish branches. The flowers are bright yellow with orange stripes. It is necessary to insulate in the middle lane! The plant is more suitable for southern areas.
The greenest – a thermophilic densely growing shrub. For the winter, it needs to be well insulated, and in the cold early spring it should not be opened ahead of time.
Significance for agriculture
Due to the early flowering, the honey plant is used as an ornamental plant in many city gardens, parks, squares, in backyards and summer cottages.
In China, the weeping forsythia species is used as a medicinal plant in folk medicine. Craftsmen make bows for stringed national instruments from the Korean plant species.
Also, the bush can be planted near apiaries. It blooms first among trees and shrubs, providing a supportive early spring flow.
Agrotechnics
The honey plant is grown by seeds or green cuttings.
The seeds are best purchased from a gardening store, and the cuttings can be prepared on their own throughout the season, immediately after the end of the flowering period.
The bush grows well both in direct sunlight and in shaded areas. The only requirement is sufficient soil permeability and liming. When planting in acidic soil, you need to add about four hundred grams of slaked lime.
A two-meter distance is left between the bushes. It is necessary to transplant or plant a plant in autumn in warm weather, without waiting for frost.
In subsequent years, the soil is fertilized, weeded, and shovels are dug onto the bayonet. It is necessary to water the plantings only in dry dry summers once a month. One bucket of water is enough for one seedling.
After massive flowering, it is necessary to cut off thoroughly (“on a stump”) all the shoots of the shrub every year. Otherwise, the honey plant will quickly grow into a shapeless dense bush. During the season, young, crown-forming shoots grow, on which lush inflorescences bloom in the spring.
For the winter, it is recommended to insulate the root system with leaves, and bend the branches themselves to the ground.
Honey productivity
The plant is considered to be a good nectar and pollen plant.
In early spring, when nothing is blooming yet, bees from the blossoming forsythia actively collect nectar and pollen to feed their families.
But there is no monofloral type of honey obtained from forsythia on the domestic market. Â
