If you want to plant a hazelnut in your own garden, you should take a look at the wide range of hazelnut varieties. The range seems almost endless - it is important to keep an overview and to find the right variety for you.
The two main known species and lesser known ones
The two most well-known types of hazelnut are the cellulosic nut and the lambert nut. There are also a few other types, but they are less important. These include the tree hazel (Corylus colurna), which has extremely hard-shelled nuts, and the Japanese hazelnut, which is characterized by its bushy growth and thick trunks.
Cellar Nut / Corylus avellana
Cellar nuts go back to the original forest hazel. They are usually smaller and less aromatic in taste than lambert nuts. But one of its most powerful advantages is its weak growth. In contrast to lambert nuts, cellulosic nuts grow more slowly and form fewer runners. This makes them perfect for smaller gardens.
The following are among the most popular and proven varieties of cellulosic nuts on the market:
- 'Red-leaved Zellernuss': dark red shoots, reddish-brown summer foliage, high yield, thin-skinned
- 'Bergers Zellernuss': healthy, high-yielding, large fruits
- 'Roman cell nut': old variety with high and regular yields
Lambert nut / Corylus maxima
Lambert nuts originally come from Turkey, which is now one of the main hazelnut growing areas. They represent the hazelnuts that are increasingly found in the trade. Compared to cellulosic nuts, Lambertsnuss grow more luxuriantly and taste sweeter. A major disadvantage: they are more difficult to harvest because the nuts are difficult to separate from the husk.
The lamberts nuts, which can be grown both as a hazelnut bush and as a hazelnut tree, include the following recommended varieties:
- Blood hazel : red-leaved variety
- 'Fertile de Nottingham': extremely high yields
- 'Webb's Prize Nut': high-yielding, large-fruited
- 'Cosford': early maturing
- 'Hallesche Riesenuss': high-yielding, large-fruited
- 'Miracle from Bollweiler': very productive, late maturing
tips and tricks
Would you like unusual hazelnut varieties in your garden? How about the black hazel with its picturesque overhanging shoots, the corkscrew hazel with its corkscrew-like branches or the golden hazel 'Aurea' with its yellow-green foliage and orange-yellow shoots?