Hazel

Description

Common hazel (Corylus avellana) is a key native species within hedgerows across England, traditionally planted along field boundaries, particularly in lowland and woodland settings. Also known as cobnut, hazel is one of the earliest trees to flower, often blooming as early as late January. Both male and female flowers appear on the same tree well before the leaves emerge, bringing subtle colour and interest to the winter countryside.

Hazelnuts ripen by September and can be eaten straight from the tree or used in cooking and baking. Hazel trees support a wide range of wildlife, providing an important food source for birds and many small mammals, including the endangered hazel dormouse. Nuthatches are often seen wedging hazelnuts into crevices, using their strong beaks to crack them open.

How To Identify

Hazel trees have broad, rounded leaves with softly toothed edges. In autumn, the foliage turns greenish-brown with pinkish tones and often remains on the tree longer than many other native species. Long, yellow catkins are visible through winter, alongside small, red female flowers.

How to Grow

Fully hardy and easy to establish, hazel trees thrive in sun or partial shade and prefer fertile, well-drained soil. It responds well to pruning and coppicing, which can be used to control shape, encourage fresh growth, and improve nut production. Ideal for hedgerows, wildlife gardens, and native planting schemes, hazel is both practical and highly beneficial to biodiversity, whether planted as hedging or trees.

If using in as  hedge: All species in a wildlife hedge can be cut back or “Coppiced” without harm. In the 1st year after establishment the hedge can be cut back to stimulate growth of the hedge from the base thereafter cut every 2-3 years. If the weather is unsuitable for planting or receiving the hedging, dig a hole and bury the roots of the bunched plants, they can be held like that till planting. After planting it is advantageous to mulch the hedge with lawn mowing or leaf mould to suppress weeds and also be done with plastic or carpet cuts and covered with soil.