Corkscrew hazel
Corylus avellana 'Contorta' · Betulaceae
Every branch and twig is twisted like a corkscrew. In late winter they are hung with long yellow catkins. Also called Harry Lauder's walking stick.
- Size
- 8 ft tall, 8 ft wide
- Zones
- 4 to 8
- Light
- Full sun to part shade
- Flowers
- Late February to late March
- Pets
- No toxicity recorded
- Job in a bed
- Specimen
A bed built around corkscrew hazel
The planner designed this bed around corkscrew hazel when this page was made: a 22 × 10 ft (6.7 × 3.0 m) English border in zone 6, part sun. It chose the other plants from the 708 that suit those conditions, and says below why corkscrew hazel stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Corkscrew hazel × 1, yellow
- 2 Bloody cranesbill 'Max Frei' × 13, pink
- 3 Leadwort × 26, blue
- 4 Alpine currant × 1, green leaves
- 5 Joe Pye weed 'Little Joe' × 4, pink
- 6 Roman chamomile × 19, white
- 7 Polyanthus primrose × 27, red
- 8 Coneflower 'White Swan' × 8, white
- 9 Henry's lily × 3, orange
- 10 Camassia × 6, blue
- 11 Easter lily × 3, white
Why this plant
- The only yellow.
- Part of the bed's structure. Shrubs and grasses keep their shape when the perennials die down. So does alpine currant.
Why here
- Anchors a back corner. At 8 ft it is the tallest plant here, and the tallest close the ends of the bed, where they stand in front of nothing.
- A step in the back row. Next to Joe Pye weed 'Little Joe' (4 ft): no two neighbours there are the same height, so the back steps up and down like a skyline.
- One plant, alone. A shrub is seen as an object, and needs clear ground around it.
Why now
- In flower for five weeks. From late February to late March.
- Opens the season. In all that time nothing else on the plan is in flower.
Planned as an English border: 20 of the 22 groups (91%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. Corkscrew hazel is the first into flower, in late February, and leadwort the last to finish, in early October. The most in flower at one time is 6 kinds, from early August.
The planner's own design check: 10 Excellent, 6 Good, 1 Satisfactory.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where corkscrew hazel goes in a border
At 8 ft it belongs at the back of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is super tall (over 6½ ft).
Its job: specimen. A feature plant with a shape of its own. It stands alone with room around it, and repeats only at a distance.
A shrub for winter, when the bare, twisted outline shows; in summer its crumpled leaves are dull. Plant it against a plain wall or the sky, and remove any straight shoots from the base.
- A winter silhouette
- Catkins in late winter
- Cut branches for arrangements
What to plant with corkscrew hazel
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Snowdrop: in flower together for three weeks, from early March; low enough (6 in) to stand in front of it.
- Lenten rose: bold leaves against its medium ones; low enough (18 in) to stand in front of it.
- Bergenia: takes over when it finishes, flowering from mid April; bold leaves against its medium ones; low enough (16 in) to stand in front of it.
Questions about corkscrew hazel
Does corkscrew hazel need sun or shade?
Corkscrew hazel grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day), part sun (4 to 6 hours of sun, including some afternoon sun) and part shade (2 to 4 hours of sun, mostly in the morning).
It wants ordinary well-drained soil, of average fertility, and a good soak in dry spells.
What zones does corkscrew hazel grow in?
USDA zones 4 to 8. It is hardy to zone 4, which means it survives winter nights down to about −20 °F (−29 °C).
Above zone 8 it struggles: the zones measure winter cold, but a plant's top zone usually means the summers are too hot or the winters too mild for it to rest.
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does corkscrew hazel flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers late February to late March. As a spring flower it moves about a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer, later where it is colder.
| Zone 4 | Early March to late March |
|---|---|
| Zone 5 | Late February to late March |
| Zone 6 | Mid February to mid March |
| Zone 7 | Early February to early March |
| Zone 8 | Early February to early March |
Worked out from Hopkins' bioclimatic law: spring arrives about four days later for each degree of latitude north, and one zone is roughly two degrees. A warm spring or a cold one moves any garden two weeks either way.
How far apart should corkscrew hazel be planted?
7 ft (220 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 8 ft (250 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 8 ft (250 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many corkscrew hazel plants do I need?
Usually one. At 7 ft (220 cm) across, it is a plant you place, not one you mass. For a hedge or screen, set them 7 ft apart: two plants for a 10 ft run.
In the bed above, the planner used one in one group.
Is corkscrew hazel poisonous to dogs and cats?
No toxicity is recorded for dogs, cats, horses or people, according to NC State Extension.
"Not toxic" is not "edible": a pet that eats a lot of any plant can be sick.
Is there a native plant like corkscrew hazel?
Corkscrew hazel comes from Europe and Western Asia. These North American natives come closest to doing its job:
- Vernal witch hazel: the same colour; an anchor, not a specimen, 12 in wider.
- Carolina allspice: an anchor, not a specimen, 8 in narrower.
- Dwarf white pine: the same job in a bed; 3½ ft shorter, 8 in narrower.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
Do deer eat corkscrew hazel?
They may. NC State does not list it as resistant to deer or rabbits. Where they visit, protect it, or plant it among ones they avoid.
What flowers after corkscrew hazel?
Corkscrew hazel is over by late March. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- Lenten rose: from late March to early May, 18 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems (a recorded partner).
- Bergenia: from mid April to early May, 16 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems (a recorded partner).
- Pieris 'Mountain Fire': from late March to late April, 6½ ft tall.
What does corkscrew hazel look like in winter?
Corkscrew hazel drops its leaves and stands as bare branches: it is grown for a winter silhouette and catkins in late winter. That is when to see its shape, and to prune it if it needs pruning.
Is corkscrew hazel good for bees and butterflies?
Corkscrew hazel is visited by songbirds.
In these guides
- Pet-safe plants for a sunny border
- Pet-safe plants for shade
- Plants that feed garden birds
- The first flowers of spring
Every fact on record
- Type
- Shrub
- Size
- 8 ft (250 cm) tall, 8 ft (250 cm) wide
- Plant
- 7 ft (220 cm) apart
- Height class
- Super tall (over 6½ ft)
- Place in the bed
- Back
- Flowers
- Late February to late March; yellow
- Leaves
- Medium texture, deciduous; green
- Shape
- Rounded, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 4 to 8
- Light
- Full sun, part sun, part shade
- Soil
- Average, well-drained
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- None needed
- Family
- Betulaceae
- Comes from
- Europe and Western Asia
- Attracts
- Songbirds
Checked against NC State Extension and VASCAN (plants of Canada). Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.