Eureka!

Eureka! I've found it- the holy grail of gardening!

Ask anyone who owns or works for a garden centre or nursery about the plants that people ask for and sooner or later you'll get the following: “I/we want a plant that grows quickly but doesn't grow too big, is evergreen, preferably with strongly scented colourful flowers and all year round, has nice bark and is completely hardy (sometimes with the caveat that the plant will need to tolerate salt or wind as well).

Well I've found a plant that matches all of the criteria exactly, but sadly gardeners won't be rushing off to buy this particular plant.

The plant in question is gorse, or Ulex europaeus to give it its proper name. Native to many countries across Europe, this shrub is found in a wide range of often challenging habitats. Down here in Cornwall it's often found on moorland, including 'Goss (gorse) Moor', that formerly infamous bottleneck on the A30 west of Bodmin (which has now been diverted and turned into dual carriageway if you've not been to Cornwall for a while).

Gorse is a familiar sight in the field hedges near my home, where it shrugs off clipping with the farmer's flail and where its sharp prickly shoots are largely avoided by sheep and cows. This is a cheerful shrub, almost always showing at least a few flowers right through the year- in fact there's an old saying that “if gorse is out of flower, kissing's out of fashion!”. I myself have a love-hate relationship with gorse; I love it for the sweet coconut scent of its cheerful golden yellow flowers, but have to give it a wide berth when I'm out walking or if I'm looking for somewhere to set up my camera.

Cold temperatures won't put gorse off flowering!

But can this common native shrub be considered for a garden?

Typically Ulex europaeus can grow to 10 ft (3m) tall and probably about the same in width, although areas with extreme wind can certainly limit growth. It can be pruned, trimmed and shaped, and could make a useful hedge. If left to grow into a small tree Ulex europaeus develops a short, stout trunk with pale and flaking bark. Its hardiness cannot be doubted, and this is a plant for all but the wettest soils, growing everywhere from sand dunes to all but the boggiest bits of moorland. Salt and cold winds don't bother gorse at all, so this is a perfect plant for seaside planting. Yes, the common native gorse can self seed, but seedlings can be hoed out annually, or you might prefer the double flowered gorse, U. europaeus 'Flore Pleno' which has strange fluffy flowers and some suggestion of a more compact habit. Remember though that double flowers aren't as good for insects, so if you want to encourage bees then the straight species will be best, especially as its 12 month flowering season provides nectar when there's little else in flower.

Note though that rabbits love the soft young shoots, so if you plant this and have a rabbit problem then you will need to protect young plants while they get established.

So will this panacea plant be widely grown in gardens? Of course not. There's no way that any but the most adventurous gardener would allow gorse into their garden for fear of its razor sharp spines. Similarly this is a plant that just doesn't work as a small border shrub, so the fear of it getting too big would put gardeners off (and the fact that it grows to above 2ft (60cm) at all would put most garden centres off stocking it). This will forever be a shrub for the adventurous thrill seeking gardener with space, especially in difficult sites, but most gardeners will reel back in horror at the suggestion of allowing this common native plant anywhere near their garden.

Which is a real shame; the sweet coconut scent of massed gorse flowers on a spring day is one of the delights of living in the countryside.