Ebbinge's silverberry
An evergreen hedging shrub whose tiny, very fragrant flowers open in October and November; on mild late-season days it is a valuable last nectar source for bees.
- Nectar
- Good
- Pollen
- Low
- Flowering
- JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
- Height
- 3-5 m
- Life cycle
- Perennial
🐝 Add to my apiary
Log in to add it to your apiary.Value for beekeeping
Ebbinge's silverberry is a garden hybrid between Elaeagnus macrophylla and Elaeagnus pungens and was long sold under the name Elaeagnus × ebbingei. It is very common as a windbreak and hedge in the Netherlands, Britain and western Europe. Its small, silvery-white, tubular flowers, which open in the leaf axils, give off a strong scent and secrete nectar.
Flowering
It flowers from mid-October to late November, and into December in mild autumns. Honey bees visit the flowers only around midday, when the temperature allows flight, so how much they benefit depends on the weather of the year.
Honey and pollen
It leaves no honey surplus; its value lies in bringing fresh nectar and a limited amount of pollen into the colony before the winter cluster forms. Its pollen contribution is low.
Note for the beekeeper
As one of the few woody plants that flower in autumn and early winter, it is worth planting as a hedge around the apiary. Its fruit ripens in spring. In Turkey it is sold as an ornamental, and no tendency to spread in the wild has been reported.