Corylus avellana Anny's Red Dwarf - Common hazel

Corylus avellana 'Anny's Red Dwarf' is a small and remarkably colourful hazelnut bush, ideal for ornamenting small gardens and growing in pots. The foliage of this shrub changes from a beautiful dark red to violet and then to brownish green. The symphony of colours culminates in autumn, when the foliage turns violet again. Winter reveals branches adorned with small pendant pale mauve catkins covered in yellow pollen as spring approaches.

The 'Anny's Red Dwarf' hazelnut is a horticultural selection obtained in the Netherlands and introduced to the horticultural market in 1999. Like its ancestor Corylus avellana, the common hazelnut, this shrub belongs to the Betulaceae family. The species is native to temperate zones of the northern hemisphere, although it seems to be declining in the south due to climate change. It is a small monoecious fruit tree, bearing distinct male and female inflorescences on the same individual. The common hazelnut is a light-loving species that prefers neutral to slightly alkaline soil, is fairly fertile, and not too dry in summer.

Corylus avellana 'Anny's Red Dwarf' is a deciduous slow-growing shrub with an upright habit. It develops a short trunk topped with an oval and dense crown. Eventually, after many years, it will reach between 2.50 m and 3 m in height and 1 m to 1.50 m in spread. Its young hairy branches are dark purple, covered with light brown bark that becomes very dark over time. The very dense foliage appears late in May and gives the shrub its bushy appearance. The leaves are rounded, strongly veined, slightly crimped and curled, slightly glossy, smaller than those of most hazelnuts. The colour of the foliage changes over time. The young leaves are tinted dark red, gradually becoming purple, and the oldest leaves are brownish green in summer. Flowering of this cultivar is quite rare and always sparse when it occurs. In February-March, male flowers appear, gathered in pendant catkins 5 cm long, visited by bees. The foliage takes on beautiful dark colours before falling in autumn.

The 'Anny's Red Dwarf' hazelnut will attract all the attention in a small garden. Easy to grow in ordinary soil, it withstands cold weather perfectly. It is magnificent when planted as a specimen, and that's how it can be showcased. It could also be placed in the centre of a bed surrounded by 'Rozanne' hardy geraniums or pink heucheras such as 'Berry Smoothie', for example. One could imagine a small clematis with blue flowers 'Saphyra Indigo' spreading at the base of an already mature subject while climbing its branches. Growing in a large pot, on a terrace or balcony, is also possible. Also use its leafy branches in all your floral arrangements, with fragrant peonies, for example.