Ulex europaeus
Prickly broom, Common gorse, Irish gorse
- Height × spread
- 1.5m × 2m
- Position
- Full sun
- Hardiness
- Very cold to -20C (RHS H6)
- Flowers
- Spring
Availability
Please ask in store about availability
Many plants are seasonal. Call 01234 567890 to check current stock.
About this plant
A much prickled plant totally covered with golden-yellow, pea-like flowers in April and May, although there are generally a few flowers present throughout the year. There is an old country-saying: 'when furze it out of bloom, kissing is out of fashion'. The shrub forms an impenetrable barrier, but its intense, thorny branches are rather unattractive to the eye if not the hand. Gorse is, in fact, nearly leafless, as it is mostly green thorns, rather than leaves, that are seen. The flowers are fragrant, with a vanilla-like scent, though some people detect fresh citrus undertones. Gorse is very flammable in dry weather because of the dead twigs inside the living, outer plant.
- Flower colour
- Yellow
- Foliage colour
- Green
- Variegated
- No
- Scent
- Yes, sweet-vanilla
- Shape
- Bell
- Height
- 1.5m
- Spread
- 2m
- Season of interest
- Spring
- Flowers in
- Spring
- Evergreen
- Evergreen
- Garden style
- Seaside garden, Scented garden, Gravel garden
- Sun or shade
- Likes full sun
- Soil type
- Loam (normal), Poor soil, Sandy soil
- Soil pH
- Acid (ericaceous), Neutral
- Drainage
- Well drained soil, Dry soil, Drought resistant
- Hardiness
- Very cold to -20C (RHS H6)
- Borders & containers
- Borders
- Use for
- Hedge, Structural, Bee attraction, Butterfly attraction
- Hazards
- Yes, stems are prickly/thorny
Spring
Spring - late · Outdoors
Feed with sequestrol
If plants are acid loving and grown in soil with little acidity, or in a container, or are watered with limey tap water an annual feed with sequestrol (iron chelate) is highly beneficial. Follow guidelines on the packet. Will also 'blue-up' hydrangeas.
For hydrangeas that have good blue flowers in acid soil, this product can be used with alkaline soil to turn the flowers blue. This is most effective when the soil is neutral or just slightkly alkaline.
Spring-Autumn · Outdoors
Water in dry periods
Established plants in the ground can cope with 7-10 days of dryness, and shrubs often manage 2 to 3 weeks. Water one section of the garden thoroughly each day rather than a little everywhere. Check plants in pots more often, especially in hot weather.
Spring · Planting
Prune young growth after flowering
When the plant has finished flowering, remove the flower and most of the young growth that the plant has made. Leave just around 2 centimetres of young growth on the plant. Don't cut into old wood unless it is diseased or damaged.
Planting & general
Outdoors
Water with rain water
This plant needs rain water or soft water (the minerals in alkaline or "hard" water are harmful). This is especially important for plants in pots.
Outdoor planting · Planting
Add root growth stimulant to the planting hole
Mycorrhizal fungi helps roots establish quickly, so they absorb water and nutrients more efficiently. It comes as a powder, granule or gel. Add to the planting hole or container, and to the plant's rootball before planting in the hole. For "bareroot" plants use a gel.
Hedges · Planting
Suitable for an informal hedge
If left to grow naturally this is a hedge that has an informal growth habit that gives it a natural, or some may say, 'untidy' look.