Gorse (Focus - March)

Soon after we moved in, I planted some gorse at the back of our garden. It soon established, so I now must cut it back annually to keep it in check. It does, though, bring colour and fragrance at a dull time of year. It has been blooming since December and as the year advances the number of flowers increase to become thick masses by late spring. As soon as some sun gets onto the flowers, they emit a wonderful coconut scent and are attractive to insects.

It is not commonly found in the Nadder valley, but on the downs you will find thick clumps of it. Further afield, in the New Forest and on the Purbeck Heaths it is extremely common and can be invasive, forming impenetrable thickets. Volunteers spend many hours keeping it under control for the benefit of other flora and fauna, which gets shaded out.

Gorse leaves are thin, sharp spines which animals are only able to graze as young shoots. With its thick spiny thickets, gorse provides shelter and nesting sites for birds and animals. Birds such as stonechats and dartford warblers can often be seen singing from atop gorse bushes where they feel safe from mammal attack.

Dead leaves lower down the stems are highly flammable, so making dead gorse is ideal for kindling and fuel. In the past, gorse may have been prevented from dominating the UK’s southern heaths by commoners regularly harvesting gorse for fuel.

Gorse is a member of the pea family of plants, as can be seen from the shape of the flowers and the pea-like seed pods. Like other legumes, it can fix nitrogen through symbiosis with bacteria around its roots. This helps it to colonise and enrich poor land and sandy soils. The common gorse, Ulex europeaus, is the most frequently seen species but there are two others found in the UK, western gorse, and dwarf gorse, both of which are lower growing. They both flower later in the summer than the common, helping to separate the species.

Some say that folklore has it that you should not kiss your loved ones when gorse is out of bloom. I prefer my mother’s saying “when gorse is in bloom, kissing’s in season” which I think puts a more positive spin on the fact that at most times of year, you will likely be able to find gorse in bloom somewhere.

​Andrew Graham