I am still considering a hedge that can produce a crop and it has been suggested that I consider Filberts as a candidate hedge.
I'd appreciate any information and insights that may be relevant.
I am particularly interested in info about yield and also how long before they start cropping etc
are there any warnings are they invasive etc. etc.
all the best
dax
Squirrels... :-X
:)
we have one in the back garden, it's about 15' high now..we cut down 1/3rd each year for sticks..not so worried about nuts but they are nice..ours is about 30 yrs old now so can't remember when it started cropping but definitely within the first 3 years :)
This is probably a lot of codswallop, but I was told when we bought our Filbert that one had to whip it. ?????????? ;-)))) ;-))))))) qahtan
we never had any nuts from it, but lots of catkins.
A wife, a dog and a walnut tree,
The more you beat 'em the better they be.
I think you'd be in trouble if you tried to apply the first clause these days! If a walnut was regularly beaten with chains it damaged the bark and created an interesting pattern in the grain, which made the veneer they eventually got from it more valuable. Not sure about hazel though.
Hazel's not invasive, but I wouldn't say it made a particularly good hedge as such because it doesn't bush out at the bottom, though I've planted it in a mixed hedge for variety. It doesn't really respond well to trimming. It doesn't fruit on young wood so if you're forever cutting it its yield won't be good, its yield is best if it's left to grow - it was coppiced on a 7-15 year rotation. I've a Nottingham Cob in the garden that started to fruit after a couple of years and does well now, though I don't prune it and it takes up quite a bit of space.
How about espallier apples?