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    • Abelia
    • American Sweetgum
    • Ash (Fraxinus) Trees
    • Astilbes
    • Azaleas, Deciduous
    • Aubretia, Rock Cress
    • Aucuba, Japanese Spotted Laurel
    • Autumn Crocus
    • Bear's Breeches
    • Beautyberry, Callicarpa
    • Black-eyed Susans
    • Bleeding Heart, Lamprocapnos spectabilis
    • Calla Lilies
    • Catalpas
    • Chinese Windmill Palm
    • Columbine
    • Chrysanthemums
    • Crocuses
    • Dahlias
    • Dawn Redwood
    • Daylily
    • Delphiniums
    • Devil's Walking Stick, Aralia spinosa
    • Doghobble, Leucothoe
    • Dwarf Alberta Spruce
    • Dwarf Burning Bush
    • Elderberries, Sambucus
    • Evergreen Clematis
    • English Daisies
    • Fawn Lilies, Erythroniums
    • Fall Asters
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    • Flowering Quince
    • Fritillaria
    • Garden Peonies
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    • Ginkgo biloba
    • Grape-hyacinths
    • Handkerchief or Dove Tree
    • Hardy Fuchsia
    • Harry Lauder's Walking Stick
    • Heathers
    • Heavenly Bamboo
    • Hellebores, Lenten roses
    • Himalayan Sweet Box
    • Hydrangeas, Mophead & Lacecap
    • Jack-in-the-pulpit, Cobra Lily
    • Japanese Anemones
    • Japanese Forest Grass
    • Japanese Maples
    • Japanese Skimmia
    • Japanese Snowbell
    • Japanese Spirea
    • Japanese Spurge
    • Kale, ornamental
    • Katsura Trees
    • Kousa Dogwood
    • Laurustinus viburnum
    • Lavenders
    • Lily-of-the-Valley Shrub, Pieris japonica
    • Mediterranean Spurge
    • Mexican Mock Orange
    • Montana Clematis
    • Mountain Ash
    • Oregon Grape Holly
    • Oriental Poppies
    • Oriental Lilies
    • Paperbark Maple
    • Pearl Bush
    • Persian Ironwood
    • Peruvian Lily, Alstroemeria
    • Phalaenopsis, Moth Orchids
    • Photinia, Fraser
    • Poinsettias
    • Primroses
    • Persian Silk Tree
    • Portuguese Laurel
    • Rose of Sharon
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    • Snowdrops
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    • Torch Lily, Kniphofia uvaria
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Corkscrew Hazel
Harry Lauder's Walking Stick

February's Plant of the Month 2021
Amanda's Garden Consulting

A Winter Treasure

Corylus avellana ‘Contorta’,Harry Lauder’s Walking Stick,Corkscrew Hazel,winter plants,winter shrub,winter interest,February Plant of the Month the Garden Website.com,Amanda’s Garden Consulting,Amanda Jarrett,gardening website,interesting plants,filbert,hazelnuts,gardening
The twisted and contorted branches catch the snow, making a winter wonderland display.
Corylus avellana ‘Contorta’,Harry Lauder’s Walking Stick,Corkscrew Hazel,winter plants,winter shrub,winter interest,February Plant of the Month the Garden Website.com,Amanda’s Garden Consulting,Amanda Jarrett,gardening website,interesting plants,filbert,hazelnuts,gardening
Spectacular twisted branches grow to ten feet.
Corylus avellana ‘Contorta’,Harry Lauder’s Walking Stick,Corkscrew Hazel,winter plants,winter shrub,winter interest,February Plant of the Month the Garden Website.com,Amanda’s Garden Consulting,Amanda Jarrett,gardening website,interesting plants,filbert,hazelnuts,gardening
In summer, it doesn't look very attractive as it droopy leaves hide the curly and twisted stems.
Corylus avellana ‘Contorta’,Harry Lauder’s Walking Stick,Corkscrew Hazel,winter plants,winter shrub,winter interest,February Plant of the Month the Garden Website.com,Amanda’s Garden Consulting,Amanda Jarrett,gardening website,interesting plants,filbert,hazelnuts,gardening
Their serrated leaves undulate and droop.
Corylus avellana ‘Contorta’,Harry Lauder’s Walking Stick,Corkscrew Hazel,winter plants,winter shrub,winter interest,February Plant of the Month the Garden Website.com,Amanda’s Garden Consulting,Amanda Jarrett,gardening website,interesting plants,filbert,hazelnuts,gardening
Immature catkins are not bothered by the January snowfall.
Corylus avellana ‘Contorta’,Harry Lauder’s Walking Stick,Corkscrew Hazel,winter plants,winter shrub,winter interest,February Plant of the Month the Garden Website.com,Amanda’s Garden Consulting,Amanda Jarrett,gardening website,interesting plants,filbert,hazelnuts,gardening
This February scene is framed by the leafless twisted stems of a corkscrew hazel.
Botanical Name:             Corylus avellana ‘Contorta’
Common Names:            Harry Lauder’s Walking Stick,                                                    Corkscrew Hazel
Origin:                             Great Britain
Hardiness Zone:              USDA Zone 4
Plant Type:                      deciduous shrub
Plant Size:                       10 ft x 10 ft
Sun Exposure:                 full sun to partial shade
Soil Preference:              fertile, well drained, alkaline, arid                                              soil tolerant.
Foliage:                           undulating, elliptical serrated                                                    slightly hairy green up to 4" long      
​Flowers:                          drooping catkins late winter, early
                                        spring
Fruit:                                occasional edible hazel nuts 
Pruning:                          winter, remove entire stems or cut                                            back to side branch, don't top!         
Problems:                        blight, canker, blight, rust, web                                                worms, powdery mildew
Notes:                              pull or cut off straight suckers asap 
Uses:                                specimen, accent, food gardens,                                             cut flowers, barrier, border,                                                        foundations
Comments:
The corkscrew hazel often goes unnoticed during the summer with its nondescript leaves, bulky shape and lack of pretty flowers. It’s when the leaves are shed, this contorted and tortured shrub grabs everyone’s attention with its intricately intertwined crooked and twisted branches.
Although their blossoms are not flagrant nor fancy, they are dramatic.  At the dawn of spring, while winter aconite and snowdrops hesitantly peak their little heads up, their pendulous catkins cover the curled and contorted stems.

As a member of the hazel nut family, edible hazelnuts are produced but not in abundance.  Originally it was discovered in England in 1863 and was so named after the Scottish entertainer Sir Harry Lauder who donned a crooked walking stick. 

Commonly grafted onto Corylus americana (American Filbert) it is not unusual for straight non-crooked shoots to emerge from the rootstock of the American Filbert. When this happens, remove them at their base as soon as you see them or they may take over the entire plant. 

When purchasing a Harry Lauder’s Walking Stick, look for one that grows on its own roots rather than a grafted specimen so you won’t have the issue of suckers.
​
Make this plant happy by planting it in sun to part shade in a well-draining loamy soil.  Use corkscrew hazel as a specimen plant, for dry, arid areas, as a barrier, as an accent and as an edible ornamental. Add their twisted branches to cut flower arrangements and container plantings.
Corylus avellana ‘Contorta’,Harry Lauder’s Walking Stick,Corkscrew Hazel,winter plants,winter shrub,winter interest,February Plant of the Month the Garden Website.com,Amanda’s Garden Consulting,Amanda Jarrett,gardening website,interesting plants,filbert,hazelnuts,gardening
Their dangling catkin flowers appear in late winter and early spring.
Corylus avellana ‘Contorta’,Harry Lauder’s Walking Stick,Corkscrew Hazel,winter plants,winter shrub,winter interest,February Plant of the Month the Garden Website.com,Amanda’s Garden Consulting,Amanda Jarrett,gardening website,interesting plants,filbert,hazelnuts,gardening
As a member of the filbert family, hazelnuts sometimes form.
Cultivars: 
Red Majestic Harry Lauder’s Walking Stick, 
Corylus avellana contorta ‘Red Majestic’ has even more attributes than its green cousin.  Its undulating, wrinkled foliage emerges as deep purple in the spring.  It matures to a reddish green then in autumn it changes colour once again to an outstanding red.  If you think that is impressive, it’s nothing compared to the stunning burgundy catkins that steal the show in early spring.  Since this cultivar is also grafted, remove any straight and green leaved branches when they appear. ​
Picture
The twisted drooping leaves of the Red Majestic corkscrew hazel.
Picture
The Red Majestic corkscrew hazel is being overtaken by the green rootstock. All green parts should be removed to restore the red cultivar.

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  • Home
  • About, Services, Contact
  • Amanda's Garden Blog
  • Ask Amanda
  • Roses
    • Types of Roses
    • Easy Roses
    • Climbing Roses
    • Portland's Rose Test Garden
    • Rose Insects & Diseases
    • Pruning Roses
    • Rose Sawfly
    • Rose Bloom Balling
  • Pruning Basics 101
    • Pruning Tools
    • Winter Pruning
    • Pruning Grapes
    • Pruning Clematis
    • Prune Your Own Garden Registration
  • Lawn Basics
    • Lawn Reno, Seed & Sod
    • Lawn Maintenance Schedule
    • Spring Lawn Care
    • Moss in Lawns
    • Lawn Alternatives
    • Lawn Grub Control
  • Mulch & Mulching
    • Living Mulches - Groundcovers
  • Propagation
    • Growing Seeds Outdoors
    • Growing Seeds Indoors
    • Hardening Off Plants
    • Taking Cuttings
    • Seed & Plant Catalogues
  • How to Garden Topics
    • Fall Garden Chores
    • Planting Know-How
    • Soil Building
    • Soil pH
    • Watering Tips & Techniques
    • Drought Gardening
    • Sheet Mulching, Lasagna Gardening
    • Cover Crops
    • Composting
    • Compost Tea
    • Houseplant Winter Care
    • Hummingbirds in Winter
    • Winterize Your Garden
    • Ponds in Winter
  • Growing Food
    • Spring Veggie Gardening
    • Fall Veggie Garden Clean-up
    • Crop Rotation, Succession & Companion Planting
    • Harvesting
    • Growing Potatoes
    • Winter Veggie Gardening
    • Taming Tomatoes
    • Speeding up Tomato Harvest
    • Tomato Tips
    • Saving Tomato Seeds
    • Raspberries
    • Tomato Troubles
  • Plant Pests 1
    • Plant Pests Part 2 - Controlling Insects
    • Garden Inspections
    • Cloches
    • Helping Pollinators
    • Critters in the Garden
    • Black Sooty Mould
    • Brown Marmorated Stink Bug
    • Dogwood Anthracnose
    • Viburnum Leaf Beetle
    • Dormant Oil/Lime Sulfur
    • Japanese Beetles
    • Peony Blotch/Measles
    • Slugs & Snails
    • Horsetail, the Weed
    • June Beetle
    • Powdery Mildew
    • Soil Solarization
    • Rhododendron Leaf Spot
    • Plant Rusts
    • Black Knot
  • Container Growing
    • Choosing a Container
  • Feeding Plants 101
    • Fertilizers & Ratios
    • Nutritional Deficiencies & Toxicities
    • Organic Plant Food
  • Monthly Flower Arrangements
    • Christmas Wreaths
  • Plant of the Month
    • Spring Flowering Bulbs
    • Colourful Fall Plants
    • Abelia
    • American Sweetgum
    • Ash (Fraxinus) Trees
    • Astilbes
    • Azaleas, Deciduous
    • Aubretia, Rock Cress
    • Aucuba, Japanese Spotted Laurel
    • Autumn Crocus
    • Bear's Breeches
    • Beautyberry, Callicarpa
    • Black-eyed Susans
    • Bleeding Heart, Lamprocapnos spectabilis
    • Calla Lilies
    • Catalpas
    • Chinese Windmill Palm
    • Columbine
    • Chrysanthemums
    • Crocuses
    • Dahlias
    • Dawn Redwood
    • Daylily
    • Delphiniums
    • Devil's Walking Stick, Aralia spinosa
    • Doghobble, Leucothoe
    • Dwarf Alberta Spruce
    • Dwarf Burning Bush
    • Elderberries, Sambucus
    • Evergreen Clematis
    • English Daisies
    • Fawn Lilies, Erythroniums
    • Fall Asters
    • Flowering Currants
    • Flowering Quince
    • Fritillaria
    • Garden Peonies
    • Garden Phlox
    • Ginkgo biloba
    • Grape-hyacinths
    • Handkerchief or Dove Tree
    • Hardy Fuchsia
    • Harry Lauder's Walking Stick
    • Heathers
    • Heavenly Bamboo
    • Hellebores, Lenten roses
    • Himalayan Sweet Box
    • Hydrangeas, Mophead & Lacecap
    • Jack-in-the-pulpit, Cobra Lily
    • Japanese Anemones
    • Japanese Forest Grass
    • Japanese Maples
    • Japanese Skimmia
    • Japanese Snowbell
    • Japanese Spirea
    • Japanese Spurge
    • Kale, ornamental
    • Katsura Trees
    • Kousa Dogwood
    • Laurustinus viburnum
    • Lavenders
    • Lily-of-the-Valley Shrub, Pieris japonica
    • Mediterranean Spurge
    • Mexican Mock Orange
    • Montana Clematis
    • Mountain Ash
    • Oregon Grape Holly
    • Oriental Poppies
    • Oriental Lilies
    • Paperbark Maple
    • Pearl Bush
    • Persian Ironwood
    • Peruvian Lily, Alstroemeria
    • Phalaenopsis, Moth Orchids
    • Photinia, Fraser
    • Poinsettias
    • Primroses
    • Persian Silk Tree
    • Portuguese Laurel
    • Rose of Sharon
    • Saucer Magnolia
    • Shrubby Cinquefoil
    • Sneezeweed, Helenium
    • Snowberry
    • Snowdrops
    • Solomon's Seal
    • Star Magnolia
    • Strawberry Tree, Pacific Madrone
    • Stewartia
    • Torch Lily, Kniphofia uvaria
    • Tree Peonies
    • Tuberous Begonias
    • Variegated Wintercreeper
    • Viburnum, Pink Dawn Bodnant
    • Virginia Creeper
    • Weigela
    • Winterhazel, Corylopsis
    • Winter Camellia, C. sasanqua
    • Winter Daphne
    • Wintergreen, Gaultheria procumbens
    • Witch Hazel
    • Wood Anemones
    • Yews
  • Garden Tours & Such
    • NW Horticultural Society July Garden Tour 2024
    • Burnaby in Blooms
    • Burnaby's Century Gardens
    • South Delta Garden Club Tour 2023
    • Garden Club Events
  • Website Index
  • May Garden Chores 2025
  • Subscribe
  • Need Help?
    • Gift Cards