Hazel | Corylus avellana
For a single row of hedging, you will need 4 plants per metre; for a double row of hedging, you will need 6 plants per metre.
Hazel can be found in the understorey of lowland oak or birch woodland and in scrub and hedgerows. One of our smallest native tree species, it grows more like a shrub than a tree and when mature grows to 4-6 metres. It is an excellent addition to mixed hedging.
Hazels’ distinctive yellow male catkins appear in clusters before the leaves from January to March and the nuts ripen in the autumn.
Valuable to wildlife, the leaves of the hazel provide food for the caterpillars of a number of moths. In autumn, the nuts are a welcome source of food for squirrels, dormice and other small mammals; woodpeckers, tits, wood pigeons, and jays. The coppiced hazel provides shelter for ground nesting birds such as the nightingale and the nightjar.
Considered traditionally as a magical tree, a hazel rod is supposed to protect against evil spirits and is used for wands and for water-divining.
Our hazel whips are grown in the UK from UK origin seed.
| Binomial Name | Corylus avellana |
| Lifecycle | Perennial |
| Soil Type | •Neutral •Loam •Chalky •Clay •Acidic •Sandy •Moist •Well-draining |
| Habitat | •Hedgerow |
| Sunlight | ✔Full sun ✔Partial shade ✔Shade |
| Best Time to Plant | •November •December •January •February •March |
| Fast Establishment | ✔ |
| Foliage | Deciduous |
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