Contorted hazelnut timber go by many names, from “Harry Lauder’s strolling stick” to “corkscrew hazel” to “contorted filbert.” No matter its widespread title, Corylus avellana ‘Contorta’ is distinctive with a gnarled and twisted type. In late winter, pendulous yellow catkins hold from its curlicue branches, making a dramatic winter spectacle among the many naked stems.
Contorted filberts make extremely decorative mid-size shrubs. They’ve multiseason enchantment with mild inexperienced leaves, panicle catkins, and a dense type with tangled spirals. They actually shine in winter, including curiosity to the quiet panorama after the leaves drop. Harry Lauder’s strolling stick is easy-care in its optimum rising situations and is broadly grown. Plant it the place you’re certain to note its particular form of twisted enchantment.
Contorted Hazelnut Tree Overview
|
|
|
|
What are Contorted Hazelnut Timber?
Within the birch household, contorted hazelnut timber stem from a sport of the mum or dad species, a nut-producing filbert with tasty fruits loved worldwide. Whereas ‘Contorta’ seldom produces nuts, its fantastical type is the draw.
‘Contorta’ stood out in a southeastern English hedgerow in 1853 and was cultivated for its decoration. It turned extra well-known in mid-century America as a panorama specimen, particularly adaptable within the cooler finish of its rising zones.
Contorted filbert additionally goes by the recognizable moniker “Harry Lauder’s strolling stick” in reference to the famed Scottish singer, comic, and stage performer pre-World Battle II. As a part of his routine, he used a distorted strolling stick. Sir Harry Lauder (1870-1950) acquired a knighthood for his wartime fundraising efforts and for entertaining the troops.
Function the Royal Horticultural Society Award of Backyard Advantage recipient in a mattress or container the place its seasonal curiosity is seen. The spiraled stems make glorious accents in floral preparations and as lasting pure elaborations.
Traits
Corylus avellana ‘Contorta’ has curled, bushy leaves and grey bark to accompany its twisted branches. Whereas the straight species spreads via suckers and will be invasive, ‘Contorta’ doesn’t expertise the identical aggressive unfold. It does tend to develop suckers that lack the curled type, remedied by clipping these on the base.
Different C. avellana cultivars develop commercially for nut manufacturing – the filbert or hazelnut – and whereas the game ‘Contorta’ is self-fruitful, it seldom produces or yields only some nuts. Male catkins, pale yellow and measuring two inches lengthy, seem in pairs or threes from skinny stems in late winter to early spring. The showy shrubs produce a tangle of branches on rounded kinds, and every stem is often lower than one inch in diameter.
Leaves emerge after the flowers and are oval-shaped, textural, and coarse with serrated margins. In mild to medium inexperienced, they transition to a mellow brown-yellow within the fall earlier than dropping. Cultivars in crimson present maroon new progress that matures to inexperienced in the summertime warmth.
Native Space
The mum or dad hazelnut species C. avellana is native to Europe, western Asia, and northern Africa. It has a variety of rising environments, from dense thickets to woodland borders and slopes, open clearings, and stream banks.
Planting
The cool situations of spring and fall are prime planting instances for timber and shrubs, with average temperatures and loads of seasonal moisture. The average seasons give contorted hazelnut timber time to ascertain earlier than the temperature extremes of summer season and winter. However you’ll be able to plant the ornamentals any time of 12 months so long as soils are workable and even moisture is out there.
The twisty shrubs additionally make good patio specimens and develop in containers massive sufficient to accommodate their higher progress and roots. They want loads of soil quantity and good drainage to match the peak and width. A 20 to 25-gallon container offers them room to develop, bumping them as much as bigger pots as they develop.
How you can Develop
C avellana ‘Contorta’ is an adaptable specimen as soon as established. With common moisture, it turns into drought-tolerant as soon as established.
Gentle
Contorted filbert grows finest in full solar to partial shade, with no less than six hours of day by day daylight. They carry out effectively in an open woodland edge planting, in a sunny border, or rain backyard.
In sizzling climates, they profit from safety from direct afternoon rays to forestall leaf scorch and to offer cooling results.
Water
‘Contorta’ prefers even moisture in the course of the rising season. An inch or so of water per week in the summertime is often ample. Supply supplemental water throughout sizzling, dry spells, particularly as younger shrubs set up.
Constant water and even moisture forestall stress and pest and illness issues. For these in containers, present drainage holes and a well-draining potting combine. Test the soil moisture typically, as pots dry out extra shortly than in-ground plantings.
Soil
A contorted hazelnut tree or shrub prefers organically wealthy, moist, well-drained soils. It adapts to varied sorts, together with barely alkaline, however gained’t tolerate heavy clays. It advantages from compost amendments in poor compositions like sand or clay to reinforce soil richness, aeration, and moisture retention.
Whereas moisture is good, standing water or extended saturation could trigger root points and hinder progress.
Temperature and Humidity
Corkscrew hazel exhibits essentially the most vigor in climates with delicate summers and chilly winters. Excessive warmth may cause stress and hinder progress. Guarantee common moisture or cooling afternoon shade in areas with sizzling summers.
Add a layer of mulch for insulation and to manage soil temperature. In winter, it warms the roots whereas maintaining them cooler in summer season.
Fertilizing
Contorted hazelnuts rising in fertile soils don’t require extra fertilizers. If you happen to choose to offer a lift in leaner conditions, apply a balanced natural fertilizer within the spring (like 5-5-5) or fish emulsion, kelp, or alfalfa.
Keep away from overfertilizing, as an excessive amount of nitrogen results in stress and illness points. It additionally creates leafy, vigorous new progress with weaker stems.
Upkeep
The decorative filberts want little ongoing upkeep. Prune away suckering offshoots to keep away from reversion and a scarcity of spiraling. Reduce away crossing, diseased, or dying branches as they develop.
Contorted hazelnuts are slow-growing timber; observe the shape to prune over time for a well-branched construction and to handle dimension if wanted. Utilizing clear, sharp pruners, make cuts simply above a leaf node to advertise branching and regeneration.
Propagation
Harry Lauder’s strolling stick is commonly grafted by industrial growers onto a sturdy rootstock, often the American species C. americana. This implies the higher progress differs from the mum or dad rootstock, making propagation tough at dwelling.
Mound Layering
Stooling, or mounding, is a layering method that will convey success. This includes extreme cutback of the stems to 1 inch above the soil floor throughout winter dormancy. When new shoots emerge within the spring, cowl them with a mound of soil as they develop. The shoots develop roots throughout the mound over the rising season. Harvest the layers with roots intact in the course of the subsequent dormancy interval.
Common Varieties
A couple of styles of contorted hazelnuts exist with various options, like leaf colour, for added curiosity.
‘Crimson Dragon’
Corylus avellana ‘Crimson Dragon’ is smaller than ‘Contorta’ and reaches 5 to 6 ft excessive over a decade of progress. It additionally tolerates hotter situations, surviving as much as zone 9, and resists widespread European hazelnut ailments.
Probably the most putting distinction, although, is its burgundy foliage, significantly amongst new progress. ‘Crimson Dragon’ holds its purple tones all through summer season. Gentle crimson catkins emerge in late winter and early spring to punctuate the show. If one other choice is close by, vegetation could yield a couple of nuts.
‘Crimson Dragon’ is out of the College of Oregon breeding program. Oregon is likely one of the prime hazelnut producers within the U.S.
‘Crimson Majestic’
Like ‘Crimson Dragon,’ this choice exhibits wealthy foliage for a dramatic look among the many grey, twisting branches. New progress is wealthy burgundy crimson amongst inexperienced shades of mature leaves in summer season.
In winter, catkins in dusky rose pink droop from the information of stems. Like different grafted picks, shoots that emerge from the rootstock or revert from the purple tones ought to be reduce on the base.
Frequent Issues
Whereas contorted hazelnuts have few pest and illness points, there are particular fungal points and bugs that pose issues. Establishing the very best cultural situations is the very best line of protection, however some depend upon localized issues.
Pests
Scales are widespread pests that pierce leaves and stems to feed on sap. They go away behind a sticky residue and little legless blobs on the undersides of leaves and stems. Scales look like black, grey, or silvery dots. Leaves could yellow and drop, with stems dying again in heavy infestations. Take away affected leaves (and branches, if extreme).
Japanese beetles in areas liable to them is usually a downside. They feed on leaves, inflicting them to skeletonize or flip yellow and drop. For small populations, hand-pick them off your vegetation as they feed. Deal with soil the place they’re identified to be lively with two remedies of useful nematodes spaced two weeks aside in temperate seasons.
For scale or beetles, spray the plant with a robust stream of water to discourage and knock bugs off the stems. Horticultural oils and insecticidal soaps rid the plant of bugs if an infestation happens, however make sure to comply with label instructions, as these have an effect on useful bugs as effectively.
Ailments
Jap filbert blight is a deadly fungal illness for contorted hazelnuts. The pathogen Anisogramma anomala causes cankers on new twigs that unfold over time. Branches and trunks develop the lifeless, sunken areas and lengthy, deep gouges. Whereas the harm is much less vital on the native American hazelnut, it’s lethal amongst European species and their cultivars as vitamins and moisture can’t attain higher progress.
Take away any impacted components for those who suspect early phases of blight. Take away all the shrub if the unfold continues. To forestall the unfold of blight, examine within the winter to get have a look at the branches. Illness-resistant cultivars like ‘Crimson Dragon’ are good choices.
Leaf spot is a standard fungal an infection that grows on leaf surfaces. Brown, lifeless spots, spherical and patchy, enhance in dimension and quantity and unfold throughout leaves and stems, inflicting them to blacken.
Early detection is the very best management for leaf spot. Reduce off diseased leaves and take away any that drop to keep away from overwintering for the subsequent season. Destroy or discard the impacted components away from the backyard to forestall unfold, maintaining them out of the compost pile. Sanitize pruners whereas transferring between vegetation. An alcohol wipe or a dip in a 70% isopropyl alcohol answer is useful whereas working.
Ample air circulation is the very best protection in opposition to leaf spot. Additionally, water on the floor degree quite than spraying the leaves to scale back damp situations. Add a mulch layer to scale back soil splash throughout watering (and for different advantages like insulation, weed suppression, and moisture retention). Prune surrounding vegetation the place acceptable to extend air circulation.
Regularly Requested Questions
The distinctive shrubs are fashionable for his or her twisted, curled stems however don’t typically produce the tasty nuts of their mum or dad species. In addition they unfold much less aggressively. Whereas they could yield a couple of nuts in a spherical husk, wildlife typically enjoys the pickings.
Corkscrew hazel makes an intriguing specimen within the blended planting, border, or container, particularly in winter when gnarled, naked branches change into a focus. As a specimen shrub or small tree that reaches, on common, eight ft tall and huge, low-growing perennials and evergreens make good compliments.
Hardy geraniums (cranesbill), sedum, and juniper make good-looking counterparts and luxuriate in the identical rising situations. Pair them with different winter bloomers like forsythia and witchhazel to increase the seasonal curiosity.