Tenders aligned with the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan and the EU Biodiversity Strategy 2030 increasingly require pollinator-friendly perennials in council, school and corporate-campus landscape schemes. The reliable specifying base for Irish and EU temperate climates:
- Lavandula angustifolia 'Hidcote' and 'Munstead' — bee forage, drought tolerance, formal-edge suitability
- Geranium macrorrhizum 'Czakor' — pollinator-friendly groundcover, dry-shade tolerance, deer/rabbit resistance
- Cotoneaster dammeri — white spring flowers (bee forage), autumn berries (bird food), embankment-ready
All available as 60-pack trade trays via PlantGift's bulk plants collection.
Council and public-procurement tenders accept clean specifications of the form: Latin name + cultivar + pot size + supplier reference. Recommended trade-pack format for tendered schemes:
Tender-ready specification lines
› Low hedging. "Euonymus japonicus 'Green Spire', 9 cm P9, 25 cm spacing, supplier: PlantGift.ie (free EU delivery)"
› Pollinator border. "Lavandula angustifolia 'Hidcote', 9 cm P9, 40-50 cm spacing, supplier: PlantGift.ie"
› Slope groundcover. "Vinca minor, 9 cm P9, 30-40 cm spacing, supplier: PlantGift.ie"
See the landscaping bulk-buying guide for tender-format examples and pot-size mappings.
The two viable Buxus substitutes at scale:
- Euonymus 'Green Spire' — fastest establishment, tolerant of coastal conditions, scales to 1.5 m if grown out
- Ilex crenata 'Jenny' — closest visual fidelity to traditional Buxus; preferred where listed-heritage planting records are concerned
Full specification detail in the Buxus replacement guide.
Schools, GAA grounds, rugby clubs and sports facilities increasingly specify dense evergreen perimeter hedging. Practical trade specifications:
- Tall screening. Fargesia rufa — non-invasive clumping bamboo, 2-3 m mature height, 1 m spacing, ~30-50 plants per 30 m run
- Mid-height evergreen. Euonymus 'Green Spire' — tightly clipped to 90-120 cm, dense year-round screen
- Low boundary edging. Lavandula 'Hidcote' or Cotoneaster dammeri — pollinator surface near play areas
For motorway / car-park / corporate-campus banks, the established commercial pattern is dense groundcover at 4-7 plants per m²:
- Vinca minor at 6 / m² — fastest establishment, sun or partial shade
- Pachysandra terminalis 'Green Sheen' at 7 / m² — shaded banks and tree understorey
- Hedera hibernica at 5 / m² — Irish ivy, vigorous on large banks
- Cotoneaster dammeri at 4 / m² — coarser texture, autumn berry interest
Trade pricing applies on orders of 50+ plants; the coverage calculator converts m² into trade quantities at the recommended density.
