Data
Botanical name: Corylus avellana
German name: Gemeiner Hasel
Family: Betulaceae (Birchfamily )
Flowering time: January to April
Flowers: Yellow catkins, 6-10 cm long
Fruits: Nut fruits, September to October
Foliage: Deciduous
Growth habit: Shrub, up to 600 cm tall
Origin: Europe, West Asia
Plant details
Corylus avellana is a deciduous and upright-growing shrub that can grow up to 600 cm tall and is best known for its edible fruits. In summer, the common hazel has dark green, rounded and double serrated foliage, which turns into a pretty autumn dress in bright yellow. In fruit cups, Corylus avellana develops hard-shelled fruits that ripen from September and provide valuable food with their high energy content.
The nuts of the common hazel are also eaten by small mammals such as squirrels and mice, as well as by birds, and are further spread by the seeds. However, Corylus avellana makes its grand appearance in winter, when the interesting flowers hang down in so-called catkins and already herald spring. A single catkin of the common hazel contains about two million pollen grains, which later provide for the formation of the nuts. Depending on the winter temperature, the flowering period can begin as early as January.
Corylus avellana likes a sunny to semi-shady location and prefers a nutrient-rich, moist and well-drained soil. The sunnier the location, the richer the flowering and thus the harvest of nuts. The common hazel is native to Europe and can handle lower temperatures during the winter. Corylus avellana is satisfied with very little in terms of care and choice of location, but feels most comfortable in a place sheltered from the wind.
Use in design
Corylus avellana is particularly suitable as a hedge or border plant. As a specimen plant, the common hazel looks particularly good and can be given additional prominence with the right placement and lighting.
Corylus avellana with its decorative features also comes into its own in groves. Due to its broad-growing character, care should be taken to ensure sufficient distance from other plants. Our plant of the month is not only versatile and easy to care for, but also an attractive useful plant that provides pretty eye-catchers throughout the year.
