Turkish hazel

Turkish hazel: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Tree of 15–25 m with a straight trunk and a regular, conical crown.

Leaf

Alternate, 8–12 cm, broadly oval with a heart-shaped base, coarsely double-toothed to shallowly lobed; fairly smooth.

Bark

Pale grey to grey-brown, corky and flaking in small scales.

Flower

Long yellow male catkins (up to 12 cm) in February–March.

Fruit

Hazelnuts in clusters, each in a deeply cut, curly and hairy husk; smaller and harder than ordinary hazelnuts.

Difference from hazel

Hazel is a multi-stemmed shrub with a softly hairy leaf, and nuts in a shorter, leafy husk.

Difference from hornbeam

Hornbeam has a smaller, strongly pleated leaf and nutlets on three-lobed winged bracts.

Flowering: February–March · Harvest and fruit: September–October · Pruning: November–March

Identify by feature: Heart-shaped leaves · Winter flowers · Nuts, acorns and chestnuts

Looks like it, but isn’t

• Hazel Corylus avellana: multi-stemmed shrub with a softly hairy leaf, and nuts in a shorter, leafy husk. Difference from hazel
• Hornbeam Carpinus betulus: smaller, strongly pleated leaf and nutlets on three-lobed winged bracts. Difference from hornbeam

Why grow it?

• Grows into a straight, regular tree that needs little pruning.
• Tolerates drought, paving and road salt: a tough tree for streets and towns.
• Long yellow catkins in February–March: early pollen for bees.
• Nuts for squirrels, jays and woodpeckers.

Turkish hazel: where does it grow best?

• A sunny spot; that is where it grows most evenly.
• Any well-drained soil, including chalky, sandy or stony soil; it copes well with drought.
• Allow 15–25 m height and about 8 m width: too big for an ordinary garden, but fine for a large garden, a park, an avenue or a street.
• Don’t plant it over a patio or drive: falling nuts and husks make a mess of the paving.

Light

Full sun

Legal basis

Any garden soil

Moisture

Dry

Size

18 m tall, 8 m wide

Hardiness

Throughout Belgium, no protection needed

Goes well with

• Hazel: A shrub for the understorey of a hedgerow or mixed hedge, with bigger nuts.
• Field maple: Just as tough and drought-tolerant, for a mixed avenue or hedgerow.
• Lesser periwinkle: Evergreen ground cover for the dry soil under the crown.
• Snowdrop: Flowers in February under the tree, alongside the catkins.

Good and bad companions

Goes well with

• Tolerate the shade under this tree: oregon grape, rhododendron, oleaster, japanese skimmia, garden privet, camellia, laurustinus, box-leaved honeysuckle

Turkish hazel: when and how to plant it?

1. Plant from November to March, bare-root or root-balled.
2. Put a stake on the windward side and water well after planting.
3. In an avenue: leave 8–10 m between the trees.
4. Water in dry spells during the first year; after that it looks after itself, even on dry soil.

Care

Watering

In dry spells during the first year; rarely needed after that.

Feeding

Not needed.

Crown lifting

Lift the crown of a street or avenue tree gradually in winter: remove a few of the lowest branches each year until you reach the height you want.

Nuts

Gather the nuts in September–October; they are edible, but small and hard. Clear them from paths and patios.

Tip: If you mainly want to harvest nuts, plant an ordinary hazel or a filbert; Turkish hazel is planted for its shape and toughness.

Turkish hazel: when to prune it?

Pruning months: November–March.

When: Dead, diseased and broken branches can be removed at any time of year. If pruning is needed, do it during winter dormancy (November–March).

How:

• Little pruning needed; the conical crown forms by itself.
• Crown-lift a street tree gradually: remove a few of the lowest branches each year, never too many at once.

Caution: Leave the leader of a young tree alone: if you cut it off, several leaders form and the tree loses its regular conical shape.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Sowing

Sow fresh nuts outdoors in autumn, protected from mice and squirrels; they germinate in spring.

Grafting

Turkish hazel is itself a rootstock: nurseries graft standard hazels onto it.

Turkish hazel: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy throughout Belgium: no protection needed.

• Fully hardy.
• The catkins are ready on the twigs all winter; they open in February–March.

Diseases and pests

• Drought after planting: A newly planted tree suffers in dry spells: water it in the first year, even though it tolerates drought well later on.
• Falling nuts and husks: They litter pavements and patios in autumn. Don’t plant it over paving where that is a nuisance.
• Squirrels and jays: They take a lot of the nuts. If you want a harvest yourself, plant an ordinary hazel.

Through the year

• January: Winter pruning: remove dead wood and lift the crown.
• February: Flowering: long yellow catkins.
• March: Catkins; last month for pruning and planting.
• September: Nuts ripen in their curly husks.
• October: Gather nuts from paths and patios.
• November: Planting season begins; formative pruning can start.
• December: Formative pruning and crown lifting.

What can you use it for?

Garden and landscape

Sturdy street tree that tolerates drought, paving and road salt.

Food and drink

The nuts are edible and taste like hazelnuts, but the shell is hard and they are small.

For wildlife

Pollen in late winter; nuts for squirrels, jays and woodpeckers.

Caution: The pollen can cause hay fever. Falling nuts and husks litter the pavement.

Edible and useful

Nuts (September–October)

Gather the nuts from the ground in September and October, as soon as they fall. They often drop together with their curled, hairy and spiny husk, so wear gloves. Collect every few days, because squirrels and jays will beat you to them. Put the nuts in a bucket of water and throw away those that float: they are empty or spoiled. Nuts with a small round hole often contain a nut weevil grub; throw those away too. Leave the nuts to dry for 2–3 weeks in an airy place, in a single layer, and then crack them with a sturdy nutcracker. Allow for about a third kernel by weight, and certainly leave some for the wildlife.

Storing

Dried nuts in their shells keep for 6–12 months in a net bag or cardboard box in a cool, dry, airy place. Keep shelled kernels airtight in the fridge (3 months) or the freezer (up to a year), because the oil turns rancid quickly. Roasted kernels stay good for 2–3 weeks in a closed jar.

Caution: Hazelnuts are a common allergen: if you are allergic to nuts, or to birch pollen with a cross-allergy, do not eat them. Throw away nuts that are mouldy, discoloured or smell rancid, and taste one kernel first: if it is bitter or musty, do not eat it. The husks are spiny and can irritate the skin. Turkish hazel is a street tree: nuts picked beside busy roads may be contaminated by exhaust fumes, road salt or dog urine, so gather them in a park or garden instead, and ask permission in a private garden. Do not gather in nature reserves, and never eat anything you have not identified with certainty.

Eating and using is at your own risk: see the terms of use.

Recipes

• Hazelnut dukkah (Dish · ± 150 g · 25 min)
• Chocolate hazelnut spread (Other · ± 2 jars of 200 ml · 30 min)
• Hazelnut macaroons (Dish · ± 16 biscuits · 40 min)
• Hazelnut liqueur (Liqueur · ± 700 ml · 30 min + 3 weeks steeping + 1 month maturing)

Did you know?

• Because it does not form root suckers, it is also used as a rootstock for standard hazels.
• Its nuts are edible and taste like hazelnuts, but they are small and the shell is hard.
• It is one of the few hazels that grows into a true single-trunked tree.