(Original articles written for the Newsletter of Hong Kong Gardening Society)
Gift from the birds, gift for the bees
Intense buzz usually comes above head when one
passes under a tree of Schefflera heptaphylla (Ivy Tree 鴨腳木) in a calm winter
day. This native tree is easy to be
recognized due to its palmate
dark green leaves and relative round and dense crown. Arborists love this tree too, due to their
light-coloured smooth bark – comfortable for holding when they are working on
slopes for tree/vegetation survey – in contrast to some trees with rough bark. This evergreen tree is also good for shading
and structure. Most importantly, they
are quite available in the market or readily available in your garden – thanks
to the birds that bring their seeds in.
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| Bees working around flowers |
Like quite a lot of common native
counterparts, Ivy Tree does not have large and showy flowers. However, the blossom is very attractive if
not critical to the survival of many insects in the cold winter, when many of
other plants come to dormant and do not flower.
During this period, local beekeepers would collect honey from their bee boxes
and package the produce with the name of “Ivy Tree Honey” due to the relatively
high percentage of the tree’s nectar.
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| Tiny flowers of Schefflera |
While bee population decline is now a
global issue, keeping trees which nourish the insect would be a plus to our
garden. It is important that we should avoid
applying pesticide during this period so as not to contaminate the food of them.
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