Hazelnut trees
Hazelnut plants can be grown as either shrubs or trees. They are the fruits of Corylus (hazel) trees and bushes – more specifically, cobnuts are from Corylus avellana bushes and filberts are from Corylus maxima plants. There is nothing better than unwrapping freshly roasted, crunchy and fragrant hazelnuts after they’ve been gently roasted on the stove or over an open fire. These sweet-tasting and highly nutritious nuts have been grown for hundreds of years and make a delightful addition to any orchid or kitchen garden. Hazelnut plants produce delightful, dangling, pale golden-yellow catkins from late winter to early spring. These are the male parts of the plant which contain pollen that fertilises the female flowers to produce the crop. They grow best in a sheltered spot (avoid frost pockets) in full sun to light shade. Hazelnuts are self-fertile, meaning they will produce a bumper crop grown standalone, so you don’t need to worry about pollination groups. They are also grown on their own roots, so there is none of the complexity of needing to choose a rootstock either.