Melliferous Eco Hedge Collection

This is a collection of 10 varieties of shrubs with deciduous or evergreen foliage, with often fragrant and staggered flowers throughout the year. They allow you to easily create a bee-friendly hedge, which will feed bees, butterflies, and other pollinators, even in winter when sources of nectar are scarce. Hardy and easy to grow in most regions, they will also protect the garden from prying eyes and wind. This collection of shrubs in pots allows you to create approximately 10 metres (33 feet) of bee-friendly hedge at a lower cost.

The collection consists of:

- 1 Abelia Edward Goucher: approximately 1.75 metres (6 feet) in all directions, with a generally rounded and bushy shape from the base. Long, lightly scented flowering from July to late August, even October, depending on the climate. They have small pearly white bells with a pink-lilac underside, followed by decorative rusty-coloured bracts on the autumn foliage. Small glossy leaves, semi-evergreen to evergreen depending on the severity of the winter, are light green in colour, turning bronze, violet, or reddish under cold conditions. It can withstand temperatures down to approximately -15°C (5°F).

- 1 Buddleia davidii Pink Delight - Butterfly Bush: approximately 3 metres (10 feet) in height by 4 metres (13 feet) in spread, fast-growing. Flowering from August to October at the end of gracefully arched stems, with dense and upright clusters measuring 25 cm (10in) long, fragrant, and a very pretty bright pink colour. Its long deciduous leaves fall in autumn.

- 1 Winter Honeysuckle - Lonicera fragrantissima: approximately 2.50 metres (8 feet) in height by 2.75 metres (9 feet) in width. Dense foliage, more or less evergreen in winter depending on the climate, often falling in January-February. Winter flowering from December to March depending on the regions. The small highly nectar-rich white flowers are fragrant and give way to reddish berries, ripe at the end of spring and the beginning of summer.

- 1 Choisya ternata - Mexican Orange Blossom: approximately 2 metres (7 feet) in all directions, fairly fast-growing, this shrub has a nicely rounded shape. Its shiny and vibrant green foliage is aromatic when crushed. It first blooms in April-May and again in late summer. Its clusters of small white flowers are pleasantly fragrant, reminiscent of orange blossom. Hardy down to approximately -12/-14°C (10.4/6.8°F), in well-drained soil.

- 1 Cotoneaster lacteus - Milkflower Cotoneaster: approximately 3 metres (10 feet) in all directions if not pruned. Its habit is flexible and natural, with spring flowering, white and fragrant, giving way to clusters of very bright red fruits that persist until winter. Evergreen foliage, decorative even in winter.

- 1 Crataegus monogyna - Hawthorn: can reach 4 to 7 metres (13 to 23 feet) in height by 5 to 8 metres (16 to 26 feet) in spread if not pruned. Blooms in May, white, highly scented, nectar-rich, and honey-producing. In September-October, red and round fruits highly appreciated by birds appear. Deciduous foliage, light green and shiny, turning yellow in autumn before falling.

- 1 Elaeagnus ebbingei - Oleaster: evergreen, on average 3 metres (10 feet) tall by 1.50 metres (5 feet) in spread. It is appreciated for the beauty of its silvery leaves, as well as for its autumnal flowering, with cream-white bell-shaped flowers with a sweet fragrance. Its edible and decorative fruits resemble small copper and silver olives.

- 1 Ligustrum vulgare - Common Privet: bushy and branching, it can reach a height of 2 to 3 metres (7 to 10 feet) with a width of 1.50 to 2 metres (5 to 7 feet). Dark green foliage, more or less evergreen in winter depending on the climate. Flowering in June-July, on unpruned plants, in very fragrant and intensely honey-rich cream-white panicles. Pretty spherical berries turning black and shiny in autumn.

- 1 Mahonia aquifolium - Oregon Grape: approximately 1 metre (3 feet) in all directions. Its evergreen leaves persist in winter, are compound, spiny, and shiny green, turning purple in winter. It blooms from February, with clusters of small yellow and fragrant flowers, giving way to bluish-black berries.

- 1 Photinia Red Robin: evergreen, on average 3 metres (10 feet) in height by 2 metres (7 feet) in spread without pruning. It stands out with its red young shoots and leaves, contrasting with its mature dark green shiny foliage. Spring flowering (from March to May depending on the regions), in clusters of small flowers with a somewhat uncertain white colour, fragrant and honey-producing. Its foliage persists in winter.

A hedge that is both fragrant, protective, beautiful all year round, and welcoming to the small wildlife in the garden! Plant these bushes preferably in autumn or early spring, in full sun or partial shade, mixing them and spacing them 60 cm (24in) to 1 m (3ft) apart. They are content with any well-prepared garden soil enriched with leaf compost. 

Advice: this mixed hedge requires little or no pruning to enjoy the flowering and fruiting. Only prune if necessary to limit the crowding of the taller shrubs.