Hi all,

I'm new to this group and am hoping for some group wisdom.

I've just got a corylus avellana contorta (purple version). I've read
that they're generally multistemmed, but mine isn't. It's currently
about 18" high with a single strong looking stem. Will it develop more
stems naturally? Or, can I prune it to the base to make it
multistemmed, and if so when is the best time to do this?

A neighbour has a single-stemmed one a few feet high, and to me it
looks a bit spindly so I'd like to encourage mine to branch out.

Thanks

Sue

The message .com
from "Sue F" contains these words:

Hi all,

I'm new to this group and am hoping for some group wisdom.

I've just got a corylus avellana contorta (purple version).

Are you sure? (I mean, did it have contorted puprple leaves when you
bought it). I thought the contorted hazel was always green. Don't
recall ever seeing a purple one.


I've read
that they're generally multistemmed, but mine isn't. It's currently
about 18" high with a single strong looking stem. Will it develop more
stems naturally?

Hazels usually start off as a single stem, and the base and
rootstock sucker later , once the plant has established a good root
system.

Janet

Thanks Janet, I'll sit back and wait.

As for the colour, well it was purple in the picture in the catalogue
(Parkers, there were a green and a purple one side by side). The purple
one is apparently a new variety, but it lost its leaves before it
arrived so we will see in the spring.

Do you know if I need to plant it with the graft below the soil to get
it to sucker from the grafted plant rather than the rootstock? The
graft was above the soil when it arrived, but surely I'll then just get
suckers from the non-curly rootstock?

Sue

Janet Baraclough wrote:
The message .com
from "Sue F" contains these words:

Hi all,

I'm new to this group and am hoping for some group wisdom.

I've just got a corylus avellana contorta (purple version).

Are you sure? (I mean, did it have contorted puprple leaves when you
bought it). I thought the contorted hazel was always green. Don't
recall ever seeing a purple one.


I've read
that they're generally multistemmed, but mine isn't. It's currently
about 18" high with a single strong looking stem. Will it develop more
stems naturally?

Hazels usually start off as a single stem, and the base and
rootstock sucker later , once the plant has established a good root
system.

Janet