Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Common Gorse (Ulex europaeus)cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called Common gorse, Furze, Whin, European gorse.

More about common gorse

About Common Gorse

Ulex europaeus · also called Common gorse, Furze · flowering

Ulex europaeus is a dense, spiny evergreen shrub native to western Europe, including all parts of the British Isles, where it is a defining plant of heathlands, clifftops, and road verges. It excels in poor, dry, acidic soils in full sun and will become leggy and bloom poorly in fertile conditions. The single most important care fact is to plant it young directly in its permanent position, as it resents root disturbance and rarely survives transplanting. Gorse contains quinolizidine alkaloids (including cytisine) and is toxic to dogs and cats.

Cold limit: USDA 6-9 · RHS H5 (-15°C to 35°C)

What common gorse's hardiness rating actually means

Yes — common gorse is genuinely cold hardy. Rated RHS H5 and USDA 6-9, it lives outdoors all year and needs winter cold rather than protection from it. Its RHS rating of H5 means: Hardy in most of the UK and in cold winters. On the US scale that maps to USDA 6-9 — the zones where it can be left outdoors year-round.

New to these scales? The USDA hardiness zone map explained covers how the zone numbers work, and you can find your own zone with the zone finder.

Minimum temperature — and what happens below it

Minimum survivable temperature is roughly about −15 to −10 °C. Common Gorse is built for winter — once established it takes hard frost and snow in its stride.

Concretely, for common gorse as it gets too cold:

It tolerates winter lows to about −15 to −10 °C once established.
Below its rated zone, the visible damage is browned or blackened top growth and, in the worst case, a killed crown or root.
First-year, newly planted, or container-grown specimens are noticeably less hardy than established garden plants — the roots are exposed.

Can common gorse go outside or overwinter — and where?

Plant it out within USDA 6-9 and it overwinters with little or no help.
It does not want to come indoors — a warm winter room actually weakens a hardy plant by denying it dormancy.
The real risks in its range are waterlogging, wind-rock on young plants, and a late hard frost on new growth — not ordinary winter cold.

Work back from your local frost dates with the frost-date calculator: the last spring frost and first autumn frost are what really decide when common gorse can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H5 figure above.

Common Gorse hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is common gorse cold hardy?

Yes — common gorse is genuinely cold hardy. Rated RHS H5 and USDA 6-9, it lives outdoors all year and needs winter cold rather than protection from it. An outdoor plant. Common Gorse is hardy across USDA 6-9; it belongs in the ground or a frost-proof container, not on a windowsill, and many types actively need a cold winter to perform.

What is the minimum temperature common gorse can survive?

Minimum survivable temperature is roughly about −15 to −10 °C. Common Gorse is built for winter — once established it takes hard frost and snow in its stride.

What hardiness zone is common gorse?

Common Gorse is rated USDA 6-9 and RHS H5 — Hardy in most of the UK and in cold winters.

Can common gorse survive winter outside?

Plant it out within USDA 6-9 and it overwinters with little or no help. It does not want to come indoors — a warm winter room actually weakens a hardy plant by denying it dormancy. The real risks in its range are waterlogging, wind-rock on young plants, and a late hard frost on new growth — not ordinary winter cold.

What happens to common gorse below its minimum temperature?

It tolerates winter lows to about −15 to −10 °C once established. Below its rated zone, the visible damage is browned or blackened top growth and, in the worst case, a killed crown or root. First-year, newly planted, or container-grown specimens are noticeably less hardy than established garden plants — the roots are exposed.