Hazel 'Contorta'

Corylus avellana

How to grow Hazel 'Contorta'

  • Partial Sun

  • Medium

Fertilize with Holly-tone or Plant-tone approximately April 1st, May 20th, July 4th, August 15th & October 30th. Keep granular fertilizers off foliage and away from stems and trunks. Use 1/2 the recommended rate of fertilizer for new plantings. 1

Periodic thinning may help accentuate the contorted form.3

Position in a partial sun location and remember to water moderately. Contorta tends to grow best in a soil ph of between 6.8 and 7.7 meaning it does best in weakly acidic soil - weakly alkaline soil.

Growing Contorta from seed

Transplanting Contorta

Harvesting Contorta

Hazel Contorta Etymology

According to Adele Kleine of “Flower and Garden Magazine,” the shrub’s “appealing common name derives from the old Scottish comedian Harry Lauder who performed using a crooked branch as a cane.” 2

Other Names for Hazel 'Contorta'

Corkscrew hazel, Twisted filbert, Harry Lauder’s Walking Stick, corkscrew hazelnut

Footnotes

1 “Walking Stick Corylus avellana ‘Contorta’” http://www.daytonnursery.com/Encyclopedia/Trees_Shrubs/Corylus.htm

2 “Harry Lauder’s Walking Stick” http://landscaping.about.com/od/floweringtrees/p/harry_lauder.htm

3 missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=c360