Named varieties of hazelnuts and grafted walnuts reliably produce large, high-quality nuts and start bearing at a young age. Seedling walnut and heartnut will produce nuts of variable quality and may take a little longer to start producing. Grow at least two different varieties/seedlings for good pollination, or hazels will be readily pollinated by wild trees in hedges and woods.
Hazelnuts: 1 year old bare-root trees 30-60cm tall:
- ‘Webb’s Prize Cobb’: An easy to grow and reliable hazel, with of large clusters of tasty nuts.
- ‘Butler’: A moderately vigorous, reliable American hazel, with heavy crops of large, strongly flavoured nuts.
Grafted Walnuts: 2 year pot-grown trees, 100cm tall
Varieties available:
- ‘Chandler’: Partially self-fertile, disease resistant, mid-late leafing so vulnerable to very late frosts
- ‘Fernette’: Disease resistant, good pollinator. Recent French variety, late fruiting.
- ‘Fernor’: Disease resistant, very heavy crops. Recent French variety, late fruiting.
- ‘Franquette’: Partially self-fertile, disease resistant. Very vigorous old variety, very late leafing & fruiting
- ‘Lara’: Recent French variety, precocious, heavy crops on less vigorous trees. Earlier leafing so slightly vulnerable to late frost.
Seedling Walnut: Pot-grown trees 30-60cm Likely to be good pollinators for grafted trees.
Seedling Heartnut (Juglans ailantifolia var. cordiformis): Pot-grown trees 60-100cm
Note that seedling trees will produce good crops of nuts, but some may revert to Japanese Walnut (Juglans ailantifolia var. ailantifolia) with round (not heart-shaped) nuts with thicker shells.
Pine Nut (Stone Pine Pinus pinea): Pot-grown trees 30-40cm: Note that although named varieties of Pine Nut trees have recently been developed in Spain, most Pine Nuts grown commercially are from unnamed seedlings. Plant 2 or more seedlings of the same species for good pollination.
Monkey Puzzle Araucaria araucana: Pot-grown trees: An amazing but slow-growing large tree from southern Chile. Familiar in the UK as a decorative tree in country house parks and suburban front gardens, these are ancient conifer trees, very similar to their fossil ancestors from the time of the dinosaurs. Historically a staple food for the Mapuche people, as mature female trees produce large quantities of large, nutrient-rich nuts. However now an endangered species in its homeland due to forest clearance. Potentially one of the highest-yielding nut trees in the UK, but trees are slow growing and separate male and female trees are needed to produce fruit. Unfortunately it is not currently possible to tell the sex of a sapling until it produces cones.
About The Mother Tree
The Mother Tree is a partnership between Richard Lewis and Schumacher College, a department of The Dartington Hall Trust, which is registered in England as a company limited by guarantee (no. 1485560) and a charity (no. 279756).
Contact Us
The nursery is split between Henri’s Field (opposite Schumacher College) and our propagation area near the Old Craft Education Building. We’re usually around on Thursday, 9AM to 1PM. Pop in and say hi or drop us a line to check our schedule this week.