Gorse – planting, care & cutting

Caring for gorse is not complicated. The plants are great for nutrient-poor soils. Gister is a butterfly and through the community with nodule bacteria they can use the nitrogen in the air and thus compensate for the nutrient deficiency in the soil. You can even cope with the poorest of soils.

• German gorse, dyer’s gorse, gorse and other ornamental gorse contain the poison cystine. All types of gorse should not be consumed!!!
• Ticks like to stay in gorse. In the garden this is usually not a problem, unless you live very rural, in a “risk area” or there are many stray animals that the ticks bring with them.

location

All gorse love the sun. They can also tolerate the strong midday sun well. They do not bloom in the shade and only grow poorly. The right location is crucial for abundant flowering.

• Full sun location
• No shadow!

Plant substrate

In terms of the planting substrate, gorse is one of the most undemanding plants. The earth just has to be dry. Moist substrates kill the plants and they do it very quickly. The roots rot, the gorse dies.

• Light, warm and well drained soil
• The dry, nutrient-poor and sandy soils of the Lüneburg Heath or Brandenburg are ideal.
• Moist soils are not tolerated at all.

plant

There isn’t much to consider when planting. The neighborhood, the trees and plants that grow all around, are more important. Trees that also love the sun and tolerate sandy, dry soil go well with gorse, for example pine, juniper and flowering shrubs such as bush clover, bladder bush, tamarisk, wild roses (potato rose, beaver nell rose or Chinese gold rose). All perennials and grasses that get by with little water are ideal as companion plants for gorse. There are particularly beautiful accents in combination with summer and winter heather or with flowering upholstered shrubs (blue cushions, candytuft).

• When buying, you have the option of choosing between bare-root and planted specimens. Pot balls grow better.
• You can plant all year round.
• Plant spacing – half of the expected final height.
• Plant as deep as the gorse was in the pot!
• Don’t forget to water after planting!
• Gorse doesn’t like transplanting because it has a taproot. It is best to leave it in its chosen location!

Watering and fertilizing

Thanks to its long stake roots, gorse also gets its water from very deep areas and therefore does not have to be watered. The plants are absolutely frugal and self-sufficient. If you are looking for an easy-care and decorative wood, you should try it with gorse!

• No watering necessary, not even in midsummer
• There is also no need for fertilization.
• If fertilization is used, the bloom can be less splendid.
• Gorse in planters must be watered regularly, as it cannot draw water from the deep layers of the soil.
• Freshly planted gorse must also be given water!

To cut

Generally, gorse rejuvenates on its own. Cutting is not necessary with the Genista species. The shoots can, however, be shortened by a third if necessary. However, you must not cut into old wood! This is also the case with the Cytisus species. They bloom on last year’s wood. That’s why you can cut it by more than half immediately after flowering. This promotes compact growth.

• We recommend pruning old branches after they have blossomed. This ensures bushy growth and encourages the shrub to branch.
• The ideal is to cut every year, but only a little.
• Cut from the beginning to achieve a dense growth!
• Remove frozen branches in spring! Cut into healthy wood!
• Upright gorse, which are intended as a hedge or privacy screen, should be brought into shape every several years!

Overwinter

Gorse is considered hardy, but not all varieties are. Therefore, when buying, you should pay attention to how it is with the winter hardiness. Especially gorse in the planter needs some protection.

• Young plants in particular need protection in winter!
• Place the potted plants in a protected place, ideally under a roof overhang so that the soil does not get too moist.
• Shoots cut too late often freeze back in winter!
• Gorse is particularly sensitive! Protect them with brushwood!

Multiply

Gorse is increased mainly by sowing. This usually works without any problems. Propagation from cuttings is also possible, but time-consuming and laborious.
Gorse also spreads on its own. As soon as shoots touch the ground, roots form there and a new plant forms from them. This is how a gorse can reproduce and spread quickly and effectively. The gorse can also reproduce in the garden by sowing it yourself!

• Sow seeds outdoors from August!
• They usually only germinate in spring.
• Cuttings often rot. The failure rate is high.
• Cuttings notation in early autumn.
• The cutting must be 15 to 20 cm long!

Diseases and pests

In good conditions, when the gorse is healthy, neither diseases nor pests play a role. Gorse are very healthy and robust plants.

Gorse varieties

Botanists divide gorse into two genera: Cytisus, also called white clover, and Genista. There are numerous differences between the two, but they are negligible. The appearance and the seeds are slightly different or the number of leaflets. The overall picture is so similar that you don’t have to differentiate. The distribution areas of both varieties are similar, Europe, West Asia and North Africa. The main differences between the varieties are the flowering time. Cytisus flowers appear in spring (April / May) and Genista species do not bloom until early summer (June).

• Cushion gorse (Cytisus decumbens) – flat-growing flowering shrub that is ideal for small rock gardens. Also good on embankments or as a ground cover. Flowers golden yellow in May and June and grows 10 to 30 cm tall.
• Rose broom (Chamaecytisus purpureus) – pink-red flowers in June and July, bushy habit, only 40 to 60 cm high, good for planters
• Stone gorse (Genista lydis) – a small variety with a broad, bushy, densely branched habit, flat-growing, ideal for small rock gardens. Height 50 cm, width 100 cm, bright yellow flowers from May to June
• Ivory gorse Cytisus x praecox) – Yellow-flowering variety, but also deviations, flowering period June to August, bushy habit, ideal for large heather gardens, height 60 to 100 cm
• Gorse (Cytisus x praecox cultivars) – e.g. Apricot Gem ‘. ´Various flower colors, flowering May to June, bushy growth, height 100 to 150 cm
• Dyer’s gorse (Genista tinctoria) – upright growing variety, up to 1 meter wide and high, bright yellow flowers from July to August, ideal for large heather gardens, shoots contain tannins, a yellow dye.
• Black gorse (Cytisus nigricans) – blooms not black but dark yellow from June to August. Lightning starter that grows to a height of 70 to 100 cm and grows compactly
• Broom broom (Cytisus csoparius) – broom-like, upright growing rods. Lightning starters, there are lots of hybrids of different colors. Important: Broomstick contains the alkaloid sparteine ​​and is considered to be very poisonous in all parts!
• German gorse (Genista germanica) – yellow-flowering plant, flowering time from May to August, height of growth 20 to 60 cm, growing upright to ascending, does not tolerate lime
• English gorse (Genista anglica) – 30 to 40 cm tall dwarf shrub with flowering time from May to June, flower color golden yellow, older branches are thorny.
• Ball gorse (Genista radiata) – also called ray gorse. Flowering period May to August, flowers golden yellow. Dense, bulky shrub with a height of 1 meter
• Two-tone flowers: ‘La Liguita’, ‘La Coquette’ and ‘Firefly’

Tips

• Gorse is a favorite food for deer and rabbits. If you live near the forest, you should not use gorse as a hedge and also fence your property!
• Only cut older specimens back into the old wood. In the young, the new growth is suppressed.

Conclusion
Gorse is one of the most undemanding garden plants as long as you can offer a sunny, dry location. A little more care is required in the tub, but the wood does not need much care when planted out. I think yellow is beautiful, but I like the other colors of the gorse even better, especially the two-tone varieties. If you don’t have space, you can put a small variety in the garden. Gorse is definitely a highlight.