Thorns

Beautiful flowers. Heavenly perfume.

Gorse was introduced into New Zealand to be used as farm hedging. Unfortunately our climate was gorse paradise and it quickly spread beyond the hedgerows. During World War One, when so many farm labourers were away fighting, gorse really took off, advancing over pasture that had been painstakingly won from forest and tussock. This left a legacy for generations of farmers to battle. The seeds can remain dormant in the soil for twenty years or more, waiting for an opportunity to burst forth. They can be stimulated by fire.

There are still a lot of well kept hedges about, but they are gradually being replaced by wire fences. However, the seeds are lurking.