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New Year Plant Hunting in Britain and Ireland

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Margaret Thorne:
I did only two walks, but on both days included places where there was gorse – always reliable for a few flowers; this time I was surprised just how floriferous it was. The heather looked good too, though probably not eligible for inclusion as the flowers weren't new. At least the plants we recorded are all native. A lot of those 100 from the south of England look to be non-native and if naturalised, just weeds!!

Jeffnz:
Here in New Zealand we do not rejoice at the sight of gorse growing, the introduction of gorse by the original settlers turned out to be a problem for on going generations as the growing conditions here were perfect to rampant un controlled growth.
Visitors marvel at the sight of hill sides of gorse in full flower, if they only knew.
Growing up on a farm I remember my Dad regularly spraying gorse on the farm and never achieving total eradication. The sound of gorse seed heads popping during summer was always a audible clue to future trouble. 

Redmires:
I have to admit I'm curious about how flowering time is governed in gorse. I assume it must be at least partly genetic, because the flowering times of the patches I'm most familiar are variable, but seem to be consistent from year to year for a given patch. I pass one patch several times a week on my regular lunchtime stroll and I've yet to see a single flower outside the summer months. In spring there will be a fabulous display from what I assume is a hedge of cultivated gorse - it's very floriferous and flowering is closely synchronised in a way you don't see in wild stands. My impression is that winter flowers seem more frequent at sites that are higher up and more exposed - perhaps because this correlates with more winter sunshine, but I haven't tried to observe systematically, so it is only an impression.

I can't help finding the idea of 100 species in flower in the dead of winter disconcerting.

ian mcdonald:
An old saying, which many people will know, is when Gorse is out of flower kissing is out of season. I read somewhere that the only month gorse is not in flower is July but this is not the case.

Jeffnz:
Gorse flowers here May-November.
As a member of the nitrogen-fixing family, gorse can promote healthy soil-nutrient levels for native plants. Where native trees are to be planted, gorse can act as a nursery plant as it will die-off due to its shade intolerance, as native species will begin to create cover as the canopy develops.

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