In recent winter walks in Ashdown Forest the only blooms I really noticed were the yellow flowers of the common gorse.
I found it near the treeline by the Goat car park (named after a pub called the Goat which once stood here…a favourite of smugglers).
And the evergreen gorse shrubs added a palette of yellow across the landscape when we went on our Winnie-the-Pooh adventure.
I’m curious now to gather some gorse branches for kindling. The oil in them makes them very flammable. Even back in the 13th century locals were using them for fires. I found it quite fascinating (sorry, I do!) that a 1274 Ashdown Forest report said: “Customary tenants ought by custom to have heath, bracken and gorse to burn for their needs.”
So far I’ve never tasted Gorse flower wine but apparently it’s a wonderful full-bodied country wine. Perhaps we’ll go on an expedition in March and April, the best time for picking, and try to make some. River Cottage has a recipe here. Must remember to wear gardening gloves to protect my hands from the spindly leaves and shoots.
There’s another reason I want to go back on a warm spring day. Then, when the flowers flourish across the gorse bushes, the air is filled with the smell of their coconut-vanilla scented flowers. Hmm, I wonder if I can also find a recipe for bath oil?
Wild birds and even invertebrates love these shrubs. Nectar when little else in flower. Refuge on harsh winter days.
Although gorse shrubs (ulex europaeus) are particularly dazzling from January to June, they can be in flower nearly all year round. That’s a good thing. If you like kissing.
The famous fairy illustrator Cecily Mary Barker explains why in these extracts from The Song of the Gorse Fairies:
“When gorse is out of blossom,”
(Its prickles bare of gold)
“Then kissing’s out of fashion,”
Said country-folk of old.
….
But this will never happen,
At every time of year
You’ll find one bit of blossom –
A kiss from someone dear!
So now when I look at shrubs of gorse covered in yellow blooms I think of coconuts mingled with vanilla, glasses of wine, warm scented fires – and kissing.
What beautiful pictures – and it’s hard to think of it as common gorse at all now 🙂
Kriss, these are just stunning photos. It looks like a wonderful place to be. My favourite is the photo of the tree that looks like it has been struck by lightning. Thank you for linking to #PoCoLo x
Interesting plant! Wonder if the spines are an impediment to animals at all? The photos look gorgeous too. #PoCoLo
wow! i am now in love with gorse! such lovely photos and great information.
Our gorse is in full flower too and a very pleasing site on a wet and windy dog walk … although I did resist giving 2 soggy pooches a kiss!
Those photos are just stunning! What a beautiful place x
What an amazing plant! I saw some of this in one of our walks before. Now I know what they are! Interesting and I am so looking forward to you doing the oil! I love oils! I will try to spot some of this in spring and summer and maybe get some oil out of them! But I was thinking it takes a lot of blooms to have bits of oil. Ooppss sorry I am not making sense anymore. Thanks for sharing this info =) #pocolo
Thanks Merlinda – it will be fun, perhaps interesting, to see if I can make a bath oil!
I love the verse and it goes so well with the beauty of the photographs. I too shall always think of kissing when I see gorse now! Great post! x
How fabulous to see a splash of colour in January. Beautiful pictures as always x
Beautiful pictures, it is lovely to see the vibrant yellow of the gorse x #HDYGG
I have not been to Ashdown Forest in a very long time, these photos are beautiful. #PoCoLo
Just lovely. I must admit I initially wondered if you had been photo bombing some amorous couples forest snogging!
I’ve never heard of gorse wine before, I must look out for it, or indeed make it! I have on the other hand picked up gorse branches for kindling, it burns like a demon and it’s in abundance in the New Forest. The kids love collecting it and I love how it looks a lot like driftwood too.
Beautiful photos Kriss, I love how your photos always make me feel like I am there with you. Thanks for joining in again x
Every time I researched gorse the kissing quote showed up in the article – including newspapers like the guardian and telegraph – finally sourced the quote to The Song of the Gorse Fairies!!
If I make some gorse wine perhaps a tasting for HDYGG.
So pretty, Ashdown Forest is great, haven’t been there in years though. We used to go there as we lived in Kent but we moved 5 years ago to be in Devon 🙂 The beaches are fab here.
I love Ashdown Forest!
Those little flowers add such wonderful pops of colour, the scent in Summer must be amazing
Stunning photos, what a fabulous place to explore. Reading this I could almost smell all those lovely scents 🙂
Gorgeous landscape photos. I never you could make wine out of gorse. In fact, it seems like most things can be made into wine…parsnips, marrows, dandelions!
Wow parsnip wine? Might give that one a miss. But very tempted to try brewing some gorse wine.
Beautiful photo’s. I love gorse-I associate it with many happy childhood hours spent playing on Arthur’s Seat where it grows in abundance. It makes for great little dens 🙂
What a beautiful spot. I love to see such natural splashes of colour in winter.
Oh wow stunning pictures Kriss, beautiful 🙂
The landscape in the Ashdown Forest was the perfect model. No wonder it was covered in kisses 🙂
wow! what beautiful pictures of a beautiful place!
Thank you Claudia. The Ashdown Forest is really gorgeous.