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Shrubs

Genista hispanica

Spanish gorse

A spiny, gorse-like deciduous shrub with green stems and spines and leafy flowering shoots bearing terminal clusters of bright yellow flowers 12mm long in late spring and early summer

Other common names

Spanish furze

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Ultimate height

0.5–1 metres

Time to ultimate height

5–10 years

Ultimate spread

1–1.5 metres

Chalk

Clay

Loam

Sand

Moisture

Well–drained

pH

Acid, Alkaline, Neutral

	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Full sun

Aspect

East–facing or South–facing or North–facing or West–facing

Exposure

Exposed or Sheltered

Hardiness
Hardiness ratings
All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets
H1a: under glass all year (>15C)
H1b: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
H1c: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)

Botanical details

Family: Fabaceae
Native to GB / Ireland: No
Foliage: Deciduous
Habit: Bushy
Genus: Genista are deciduous, sometimes spiny, shrubs or small trees with small, simple or trifoliate leaves and solitary, racemose or clustered, pea-like yellow flowers which are sometimes fragrant
Name status: Correct
Plant range: SW Europe

How to grow

Cultivation

Grow in poor but well-drained soil in full sun

Propagation

Propagate by seed or semi-hardwood cuttings

Suggested planting locations and garden types

City and courtyard gardens
Coastal
Cottage and informal garden
Gravel garden
Rock garden
Banks and slopes
Flower borders and beds
Wall side borders

Pruning

Pruning group 1. Will not tolerate hard pruning. New growth will not rejuvenate from old wood

Pests

May be susceptible to aphids and gall mites

Diseases

May be susceptible to honey fungus in gardens where it is present but insufficient data to determine degree of susceptibility

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