There are many reasons why I have chosen gorse as part of my Paddock Paradise hedgerow.
- It's adapable to most soil types and different environments
- It's evergreen and dense in growth
- It is a great wind break and barrier all year round so I will be utalising both these qualities.
- Gorse is hardy and drought resistant
- Great for wildlife, especially to provide important refuge for the birds in harsh weather.
- Gorse adds colour to the hedgrow (flowering between January and July). According to Whistlefish 2021, The flowers have a slight coconut aroma and almond taste, they are edible by humans too and can be used in salads, tea and non-grape wine, as well as great to infuse with liquids…like Gin! . Many chefs have started using gorse in various baking recipes too.
Traditionally, common gorse was collected from commonland for a number of purposes: it provided fuel; was used as fodder for livestock at times when crops failed in the past and was bound to make floor and chimney brushes. There are some disadvantages to gorse of course -it quickly forms dense, spiky stands that reduces the usable pasture for livestock or production. Old gorse is a fire risk, burning very easily. It can live up to thirty years and needs to be pruned and kept on top of every two to three years to restict the spreading.
A few Gorse facts:
- Gorse will reach up to 2.5m in Height
- Time to ultimate height 10–20 years
- Ultimate spread 1.5–2.5 metres
This hedgerow will be planted to act as a wind barrier around the first hay feeding station of my Paddock Paradise, also to act as partition between two tracks. I won't be planting much because I need to make sure I can keep on top of the pruning. I have also taken into consideration that horses like to forage on Gorse. This may be because gorse is high in protein and according to Ellen Collinson 2012, it is a mild vermifuge.
Things I need to do right now;
Prepare the site well by clearing away any weeds or grass. I will also be adding some horse muck to fertalise that area. I have zero Gorse in my field so I will have to sow some seeds or propagate. I will be trying both!
To grow from seed please follow this link - https://treegrowing.tcv.org.uk/grow/tree-recipes/gorse
To grow from cutting please follow this link - https://www.rhs.org.uk/propagation/semi-ripe-cuttings
Disclaimer - The Wild horse diet
Things to remember; there has been no definitive study on the diet of the Great Basin wild and free roaming horses. Luscious green grass is known to cause founder so be aware that living herbs and plants may do the same.
References / sources
Video from Meadow Track Livery 2023 https://meadowtracklivery.com/
Ellen Collinson, 2012. Herbal Health for Horses. Kitzkatz, Fowley.
Comments