Hazel trees are native to Britain and also grow in Europe and some areas of Western Asia. In the UK, you’ll often see hazel growing in hedgerows or woodland. A hazel tree is a good choice for the garden, especially with the wide range of cultivars available, as it can be used for hedging, as a tree in a mixed border or as a shrub. It’s a valuable plant for wildlife and can provide a delicious crop of hazelnuts.
There are two main species of Corylus – Corylus avellana, also known as a cobnut, andCorylus maxima, known as a filbert. Hazelnut is a common name for both of these species. Hazel trees are also often coppiced, cut down to the base, which encourages new stems to grow. These stems can be used for plant supports, fencing and wigwams among other things.
Corylus avellana has a moderate growth rate, growing around 40-60cm a year. Many hazel trees will take more than 10 years to reach their eventual height. Although it can grow to 12m tall in the wild, it’s easy to keep a hazel tree compact by pruning regularly. For small gardens, you could also try a compact, slow growing variety, such as ‘Contorta‘, which has attractive twisted stems and only reaches 3-5m tall.
Hazel trees are deciduous and lose their leaves in winter. They’re also hardy and tolerant of most soils, although they won’t thrive in waterlogged soils. Hazel trees are wind pollinated but some bees will visit the catkins for pollen.
How to grow a hazel tree
Hazel trees thrive in moist, well drained soil in sun or partial shade. Hazel trees are hardy but low temperatures (below -10ºC) can affect the crop, so it’s best to plant your tree in a sheltered position.
Identifying a hazel tree
To identify a hazel tree in the UK, the easiest thing to look out for are
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Strawflower (Xerochrysum bracteatum) is also known as everlasting flower, immortelle and paper daisy. Strawflower plants have an upright habit and branching flower stems topped with many-petalled blooms to 8cm across. Hardy annuals, strawflowers bloom abundantly from summer into autumn, in shades of red, pink, yellow, orange, purple and white. The naturally dry texture of the blooms makes them an excellent choice as cut flowers to use fresh, or in dried arrangements that will last for years. Strawflower grows quickly and easily from seed and lasts for one growing season only.
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If you love cedar trees and have a large space for growing one, an atlas cedar tree (Cedrus atlantica) is a fine ornamental choice. One of the true cedar trees, it takes its common name from its home region, the Atlas Mountains in northern Africa. It is an evergreen conifer with a pyramidal shape when young, but it develops spreading branches and becomes more flat-topped as it matures.
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Strawflower (Xerochrysum bracteatum) is also known as everlasting flower, immortelle and paper daisy. Strawflower plants have an upright habit and branching flower stems topped with many-petalled blooms to 8cm across. Hardy annuals, strawflowers bloom abundantly from summer into autumn, in shades of red, pink, yellow, orange, purple and white. The naturally dry texture of the blooms makes them an excellent choice for using as cut flowers to use fresh, or in dried arrangements that will last for years. Strawflower grows quickly and easily from seed and lasts for one growing season only.
Aspen (Populus tremula) is a deciduous, broadleaf tree known for its habit of ‘quaking’ or ‘trembling’ in the slightest breeze. Indeed, its botanical name ‘tremula’ was given due to its trembling habit, and it’s also known as ‘quaking aspen’. Aspen tree leaves have flattened, flexible leaf stalks, which is how they are able to flutter so easily.
Echiums are related to borage and share similar characteristics, such as hairy stems and leaves, and nectar-rich flowers that are loved by pollinating insects. There are around 40 species of echium that grow across Europe and Asia. These range from the common Echium vulgare, also known as viper’s bugloss (the seed looks a little like a snake’s head) to the gigantic Echium pininana or tree echium, which can grow to around 5m. The taller varieties originate from the Canary Islands, so will only grow in similar conditions and need protecting from frost in the UK. However, they will usually self-seed prolifically, so will colonise your garden if allowed to. Be careful when handling them as the sap can irritate the skin and all parts of an echium plant are toxic if eaten.