Shrubs🌿 Native to the NetherlandsVery hardy — tolerates frost down to -15°C

Common Gorse

Name: Common Gorse (Ulex europaeus)
Brand: HSMN Planten
SKU: 6a3802a72ea7dd83770fed78
Price: 11.95 EUR
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Ulex europaeus

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Common Gorse (Ulex europaeus) is a fairly rare, native shrub of sunny, dry, nutrient-poor sandy and loamy soils. The plant is evergreen, very spiny, and recognizable by its hard thorns, green branches, and bright yellow pea-like flowers. Main flowering occurs from March to May, but in mild winters, Gorse can bloom as early as December and January. After flowering, short, hairy pods with toxic seeds are produced. The species thrives mainly on heaths, unimproved grasslands, verges, forest edges, clearings, sand pits, railway embankments, sunken roads, and decalcified dunes. Gorse is well-suited for dry natural gardens, heath gardens, sandy gardens, sparse roadside planting, forest margins, and spiny native thickets.

Year calendar

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
🌸Blooms
🐝Provides nectar
🍓Bears fruit
🍂Has autumn colour

Pruning period

✂️Best pruning period: Jun–Jul

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
✂️ Pruning period

Best pruning period

Prune Gorse lightly after flowering to keep the shrub compact. Do not prune deeply into old, bare wood. Wear heavy-duty gloves due to the hard thorns.

Botanical profile

Site & soil

Sun

Soil type: Sand, Loam

Moisture need: Dry, Moderately moist

pH: Acidic (<5.5), Slightly acidic (5.5–6.5)

Nutrient richness: Very nutrient-poor, Nutrient-poor, Moderately nutrient-rich

Humus content: Moderately humus-rich, Humus-poor

Water drainage: Strongly draining, Well draining

Appearance & season

Mature height: 30-200cm

Bloom: Jan-Dec

Autumn colour: No striking autumn color. Its ornamental value lies primarily in its evergreen thorny branches and bright yellow blooms.

Properties

Salt sensitive: No

Edible: No

Scent: The flowers have a distinct, pleasant sweet fragrance, often described as coconut-like or vanilla-like. The scent is strongest on sunny, warm days.

Ecological value

Gorse is valuable for insects, birds, and dry scrubland. The yellow flowers are visited by bumblebees, bees, and other pollinators. Due to its early flowering, the shrub provides an early-season food source, especially in sunny and sheltered spots. The dense, thorny growth provides excellent cover and nesting opportunities for small birds. Small insects, spiders, and other animals also find shelter among the thorny branches. Gorse is particularly strong as an evergreen structural shrub on dry, acidic, and nutrient-poor sandy soils.

Food web & Biodiversity

🐛 Caterpillars & mothsUseful

🐝 Bees & bumblebeesVery useful

🪰 HoverfliesUseful

🦋 ButterfliesUseful

🪲 Beetles & insectsVery useful

🐦 BirdsVery useful

🐿️ MammalsUseful

🐞 Other animalsUseful

Gorse is especially valuable for its early yellow blooms, evergreen foliage, and highly prickly branches. The shrub provides food for pollinators and secure cover in dry heathlands, forest edges, and sparse thickets.

Distribution in the Netherlands