At their summer cottage, you can grow different types of hazel
Hazelnut, hazel or hazel is a familiar plant found in the wild, used in landscaping, and thanks to its tasty and healthy nuts, has long gained popularity as a garden crop.
Representatives of the genus, which unites about two dozen species of deciduous shrubs and trees, can be seen in different parts of North America, Asia and Europe. Despite the difference in size and range, all varieties have much in common. First of all, this concerns the appearance of hazel leaves, the structure of its flowers, fruits, the peculiarities of its flowering and reproduction.
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Description of the hazel plant
Hazel of any kind is easily recognizable by its broadly oval or almost rounded leaves with a serrated edge and well-marked venation. They keep on short dense petioles and densely cover long branches resembling twigs.
Hazel flowers are divided into male and female. The appearance of earrings with male flowers is considered the beginning of the general spring flowering. Fertilization of female flowers occurs due to the scattering of pollen and the first insects. From 1 to 5 ovaries are formed in inflorescences. The fruit of hazel that ripens inside a hard woody shell is called a nut.
A characteristic feature of the culture is the presence of a kind of wrapper around the ovary. Resembling a helmet, or korys in Greek, the cupule is formed from a modified bracts. As the fruit ripens, it dries up and shows a silvery-brown or brownish nut shell.
Cultivation of hazel
The great taste of hazelnuts or hazelnuts, high nutritional value and benefits were appreciated by our ancestors several thousand years ago. For many centuries, the inhabitants of Europe have harvested hazel, which grew in abundance in deciduous forests. The first cultural plantings, as evidenced by written sources, could be located in the territory of the modern Balkans, the Mediterranean south of Europe, or on the Black Sea coast. So, in the Caucasus, nuts were grown 6 thousand years ago, and their often used name "hazelnuts" is of Turkish origin.
Varieties of southern origin are distinguished by large-fruited and excellent quality nuts.
But in the northern regions, where winters are harsher than in Turkey, Italy or Azerbaijan, plants are at risk of dying or produce a meager harvest. Therefore, breeding hazel is an important task for domestic specialists, the first of whom was I.V. Michurin.
Common hazel (C. avellana)
The species, named after the Italian region of Avellano, the oldest cultural center in Europe, is one of the most common. The natural range of common hazel or real hazelnut covers the west of the European continent, as well as a significant part of Russia from the Leningrad region in the north to the Crimea and the Caucasus in the south.
The common hazel shrub has adapted well to life in forest ash, forest-steppe and even in steppe regions.
Mature plants can reach a height of about 5 meters and, in favorable conditions, thrive, forming dense thickets that are difficult to pass. The common hazel depicted in the photo feels especially comfortable under the canopy of a deciduous forest. Here are the plants:
- protected from frost;
- get enough food and moisture;
- but due to poor distribution of pollen, they do not bear fruit in full force or do not form ovaries at all.
The species is actively used by humans. Due to its durability, unpretentiousness and winter hardiness, hazel is used in breeding. Today on the territory of Russia more than 20 varieties of fruit-bearing hazel have become widespread, giving excellent quality hazelnuts, and several interesting decorative forms that will rightfully decorate both the garden and the urban landscape.
Decorative forms of hazel
Getting nuts is not the only purpose of hazel. Ornamental plant forms are widely used, which differ from the wild-growing ancestor in the color of the leaves, the shape of the crown and individual shoots.
The most popular is red-leaved hazel. The shrub differs little from an ordinary plant, but its foliage has a pronounced reddish tint. At the same time, on young leaf plates, the redness is much brighter than at the base of the shoots, and in the shade, more and more green tones appear in color. The peculiarity of the hazel in C. avellana Atropurpurea is the anthocyanin coloration of not only the leaves, but also the plumage around the ovaries.
Many Russian hazelnut varieties are also distinguished by reddish foliage, which gives additional expressiveness to the plantings.
In addition to the purpurea hazel, other varieties can be seen in Russian gardens. An example is variegated forms:
- Albovariegata, distinguished by leaves, on which a light green or almost white stripe along the edge is clearly visible;
- Aurea, in the color of the foliage and the entire crown of which yellow and golden-green tones prevail;
- Aureomarginata, in which the golden color affects only the edge of the leaf blade and forms a kind of border.
At the disposal of landscape designers and everyone who is not indifferent to unusual plants, there are forms of hazel cut, toothed, feathery and even folded in foliage.
Of undoubted interest is hazel:
- weeping or C. pendula, growing in the form of a standard tree with drooping branches;
- curved or C. contorta, all shoots of which are bizarrely twisted, and the speed of the mouth is several times lower than that of ordinary plants.
Large hazel (C. maxima)
The species from which the cultivation of hazelnuts began is called large hazel. Since ancient times, the plant, as a source of nutritious and very tasty nuts, has been cultivated in the Balkans, Italy, Turkey, the Caucasus and the Crimea. By the name of the Italian region of Lombardy, the species began to be called the Lombard nut, and the peoples of the Black Sea region knew it as Pontic.
Like other species, this crop is demanding on the soil. Where hazel grows:
- the soil is saturated with nutrients in advance;
- take care of regular watering and aeration;
- they regularly use fertilizing, which are especially important for obtaining a stable and full-fledged crop.
A crop that produces the highest quality hazelnuts or hazelnuts is easily distinguished by large, multi-stemmed bushes reaching a height of 10 meters.
The plant's double toothed, oval or almost round leaves are noticeably pubescent from below. The venation is clearly visible on the leaf plates, and the young foliage is often distinguished by a rich anthocyanin color. Reddish are also long, toothed plyus that completely hide the nut.
Tree hazel (C. colurna)
Hazel, which does not look like a bush familiar to many, but a tall tree, is called a tree. The species characteristic of Asia Minor, the Caucasus and Transcaucasia, as well as the Balkan Peninsula, along with the Pontic nut, is one of the most ancient cultures that interested people with their fruits.
Treelike hazel has long been grown in Turkey, but today it has given way to more productive and easy-to-use bush brethren.
Trees that live up to two hundred years of age are increasingly finding a place in landscaping. Plants, which are popularly called a bear nut, can be recognized by:
- slender trunks covered with grayish bark;
- crown, which looks like a wide candle or cone;
- dark jagged foliage;
- collected in 3–8 pieces of fruit, hidden in a velvety, heavily dissected cupule.
Hazelnuts of this type are not just edible, but very tasty. They ripen at the end of summer or in the first half of September. In Russia, tree hazel is capable of bearing fruit only in the southernmost regions; in the middle lane, the culture is used as decorative.
Various-leaved hazel (C. heterophylla)
The Asian variety is widespread where the range of common hazel ends. Various-leaved hazel, named because of the characteristic shape of the leaf blades, can be found in the Far East, the Chita region, China, Mongolia, as well as on the Korean Peninsula and even on the Japanese islands.
Like its gathering, this species prefers dry slopes, on which it readily grows, broad-leaved mixed forests and oak forests. Bush:
- it has a wide-rounded crown, consisting of several trunks up to 10 cm in diameter;
- reaches a height of 3 meters;
- under favorable conditions forms dense thickets that impede the growth of other species characteristic of the underbrush.
A distinctive feature of variegated hazel is leafy plates with a small pointed tip and a seemingly cut off top.
Also, the species is characterized by early flowering and fruiting. The ovary is surrounded by a two-piece, pubescent plyuska, shaped like a bell. Ripe hazelnuts reach a diameter of 15 mm. The kernel is hidden under a solid grayish shell.
The plant is incredibly hardy, it tolerates drought better than other species and is not afraid of frost. This makes it possible to grow hazel in Siberia, use it to strengthen the slopes of ravines, and plant it where there is a danger of wind erosion.
The main thing is that the place where the bush is to grow is protected from flooding and stagnation of melt or rainwater.
In the conditions of the personal plot, hazel has proved its unpretentiousness and docile disposition. It is photophilous, but it can grow in partial shade, the thickened crown can be easily put in order with the help of a pruner, and with proper care, the bushes live and bear fruit for several decades.
Manchurian hazel (C. sieboldiana var.mandshurica)
Manchurian hazel grows in the Russian Far East, Korea and northern China. This variety differs from the plants described above by the unusual shape of the cupule. Forming a long dense tube that hides the nut, it grows up to 6 cm.
Shoots forming a shrub up to 4 meters high are covered with brownish-gray bark, smooth on young branches and cracked on perennial wood. The species is characterized by large soft foliage. The ovary, which forms after the May flowering, is collected together in 3-4 pieces. The nuts ripening in the first half of autumn have an oblong pointed shape. The kernels are thin-shelled and edible, but obtaining nuts is difficult due to the bristly cupula.
The plant is not afraid of frost. Therefore, with the right place for planting hazel in Siberia and care, the culture can be used as a nut-bearing and decorative one.
How to grow hazel
Hazelnut is an undemanding crop that even novice gardeners can take care of. Preparation for planting and caring for common hazel begins with choosing a suitable place.
Hazel loves light, but it can grow in the shade. But if the foliage of the seedling is red, it will look brighter in the sun. In the shade, such plants gradually lose their attractiveness and turn green.Foliage with white or yellow color, burns out under direct sunlight, and here it is necessary to take care of protection during the hottest hours.
In the wild, shrubs settle in deciduous forests with loose soil rich in humus. At the same time, the root system of the plant does not tolerate stagnation of moisture, and drought quickly provokes wilting of foliage and dumping of the crop.
In spring, the plant wakes up early, and moving it to a new place can cause prolonged acclimatization. Therefore, the best time to plant hazel trees is autumn.
Pits at least 50 × 60 cm in size are prepared in advance. If hazelnut is to be grown and several specimens are taken care of once, about 4–5 meters of free space are left between them. For fast rooting and active growth for backfill, a mixture is prepared based on:
- fertile soil;
- 10 kg of high-quality humus;
- 200 g superphosphate;
- 50 g of potash fertilizers.
The composition is laid out on the bottom in the form of a cone, on which the roots of the bush are carefully laid out so that the root collar is at ground level. When the pit is filled up, the soil is compacted, watered abundantly, and then mulched to maintain optimal soil moisture.
How to grow hazel, not only decorating the site, but also regularly delighting with delicious nuts. Experts advise to select varieties according to flowering time, and also take into account the possibility of wind pollination.
Crop care includes:
- watering, which is extremely necessary during the ripening period of nuts;
- feeding in early spring and at the time of the formation of the ovary;
- pruning for crown formation, rejuvenation, or maintaining a healthy state.
In regions with severe winters, young shrubs can freeze slightly. They are advised to be bowed in the ground and covered. Pruning hazel in spring helps free the plant from broken, frozen or dried branches. In addition, a simple procedure will help to form the crown correctly, to give the sun access to each fruiting branch.
For this, 8-10 strong shoots are left in each bush, and the rest, trying to free the center, are removed at ground level. For hazel, it is possible to grow on a trellis, as well as to form a standard plant.
In order not to weaken the bush, excess root shoots are cut out annually. This is especially important on grafted specimens.
Hazel: useful properties and contraindications
The main treasure of the plant is nuts. This is a real storehouse of vitamins, healthy fats, proteins and minerals.
Essential fatty acids account for about 65% of the core weight. Among the micro- and macroelements there is magnesium, potassium and calcium, phosphorus and sulfur, zinc, manganese, fluorine. Vitamins are represented by group B, ascorbic acid, A, E and PP. The calorie content of 100 grams of fruit is 700 kcal.
The rich composition and high energy value of the product determines the beneficial properties of hazel and contraindications that should be taken into account when eating delicious nuts.
What are hazelnuts useful for? Rich in healthy fats, magnesium and potassium, nuts are a valuable product for the prevention and treatment of heart and vascular diseases, primarily:
- atherosclerosis;
- ischemic disease;
- sclerosis of the vessels of the brain;
- myocardial infarction.
The natural remedy not only stimulates the heart muscle, but also strengthens blood vessels, improves blood quality. In addition, hazel nuts are useful for the nervous and digestive systems, they stimulate the gallbladder, improve metabolism and resist the aging process.
Due to the mass of vitamins, proteins and fatty acids, hazel fruits are indispensable in the diet of vegetarians, and people with lactose intolerance can replace cow's milk with tasty and healthy nut milk. The low sugar content ensures that the hazelnut dessert does not affect the health of the diabetic and does not cause weight gain in the one who is trying to lose weight.
Speaking about the benefits of common hazel, one should not forget about the leaves, bark, plyusk and other parts of the plant.All of them contain biologically active substances that impart astringent, antipyretic, vasodilating, anti-inflammatory, restorative properties to plant materials. Infusions and flocks based on hazel are prescribed for digestive problems, vascular diseases, for genitourinary diseases and helminthic invasions.
Walnut oil has a wound healing effect. It helps to quickly relieve irritation, reduce soreness and accelerate tissue regeneration. Milk from pounded kernels is a proven folk remedy for the treatment of gastritis, cholecystitis and enterocolitis, as well as for other problems accompanied by spasms, irritation and pain.