Sweeney Landscape Design

BUTTERBUR FOREST @ House on the River
Forming vast patches of vegetation, in wet ground mainly, by rivers and on damp roadsides from March to May, Butterbur (Petasites hybridus) is a rather striking native perennial. Many, many small pink-red, rayless flowers (8-12 mm) are carried in clusters along upright spikes which reach up to 40 cm high. (In Ireland, the male plant is the wildflower generally found, but in other parts of Europe a female version grows and this has smaller flowers which are carried on separate plants). Arriving a little after the flowers, the large leaves can measure as large as 1 m across and are pale-green and heart-shaped, somewhat like a large version of the leaves of the Winter heliotrope.
With so many small flowers packed densely together, butterbur is very popular with bees. It is a great source of nectar early in the year, when wildflowers are still rather sparse.
 Butterbur got its name from the practice of wrapping freshly churned butter in its great, round leaves.


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and THIS IS WHAT WE HAVE BEGUN!
A passive house with a Biodiverse Green Roof surrounded by a native meadow including habitats designed for pollinators!
Nice way to end a week that saw us recognised as a Nature Based Enterprise by Connecting Nature and also accepted as the first Irish member of Green Roof Organisation.