Gorse Hedge Plants

• Common names: Gorse, Furze, Whin
• Latin name: Ulex europaeus
• Native: Yes
• Sold as: Pot-grown hedge plants, 20/30cm and 30/50cm tall
• Evergreen: Yes. Very spiny, much-branched green stems
• Mature size: 1.5 to 2.5m tall and wide
• Time to full size: 10 to 20 years
• Spacing: 2 plants per metre
• Flowers: Bright yellow and coconut-scented, mainly in winter and spring
• Position: Full sun. Takes exposure and the coast
• Soil: Poor, sandy and well-drained, acid or neutral. It grows leggy on rich soil
• Hardiness: H6, hardy through the British winter
• Delivered: Pot-grown, all year when in stock. Collection from Castle Cary also available

Gorse is a native evergreen shrub, fiercely spiny, for a rough barrier or windbreak on poor, dry, sandy soil in full sun. The bright yellow, coconut-scented flowers open mainly in winter and spring, and the dense thorns give small birds a safe place to nest.

Gorse Hedge Plants

Gorse, Ulex europaeus, is a viciously thorny native evergreen bush that makes excellent rough barriers and provides screening up to about 2.5 metres high. It's great for butterflies and small nesting birds as well as providing cover for larger wildlife including deer.

As a member of the pea family, as you can see from its flowers, gorse fixes nitrogen from the atmosphere into the soil. This means that it both can grow in very poor terrain and improve it while doing so.
It has strong wiry roots that anchor it in windswept locations and that help stop soil erosion.

Gorse is famous for its striking yellow flowers that open mainly in winter and spring, with their intoxicating coconut scent, and are much loved by bees and other pollinators.

Gorse is naturally an uneven, lumpy bush, so don't try to clip into a tidy shape; just enjoy it for what it is. You can hard prune down to the ground after flowering if you decide it needs renovating.

Gorse plants are only delivered pot-grown, year round.
All our hedge plants are measured by their height in centimetres above the ground (the roots don't count).

Browse all evergreen hedging, coastal hedging, or our full range of hedging plants.

Spacing a Gorse hedge:

Plant Gorse at 2 plants per metre, 50cm apart.

History & Trivia

The flower buds are edible: pickle them and use them in the same way as capers. Gorse wood is oily and burns very well, although it's too thorny to be a convenient fuel for a hearth fire. Gorse is also called furze or whin.

Planting Companions

On a windy coast, Gorse pairs with Sea Buckthorn, which is taller, deciduous and just as thorny. Inland, on poor ground, plant it with Blackthorn for a native barrier that flowers from winter into spring. You will find more in our thorny hedging range. Gorse feeds itself, so plant it without fertiliser.

Why Ashridge for Hedging?

Hedging is not a sideline here: your Gorse is grown for us as hedging by specialist growers, and comes pot-grown, so you can plant it in any month of the year. Ashridge has sold plants since 1949 and is a Which? Best Plant Supplier 2025.

Frequently Asked Questions

How tall does Gorse grow?

It grows 1.5 to 2.5 metres tall and wide, in 10 to 20 years. It makes a rough screen, not a clipped hedge.

When does Gorse flower?

Mainly in winter and spring, and the flowers are coconut-scented. Bees work them on any mild day.

What soil does Gorse need?

Poor, sandy, well-drained soil in full sun, acid or neutral. It grows leggy in rich soil, so do not feed it.

How do you prune Gorse?

Lightly, every two or three years. An old, leggy bush can be cut down hard after flowering to renew it.

How far apart do you plant it?

Two plants per metre, 50cm apart.

Is Gorse good for wildlife?

Yes. The spines protect small nesting birds, the bush gives cover to larger animals, and the flowers open when little else does.

When are the plants delivered?

All year. The plants are pot-grown, so they can be delivered and planted in any month when you find them in stock.