Corylus avellana Webbs Prize Cobb - Common Hazel

Corylus avellana 'Webb's Prize Cobb' is a very productive ornamental hazel bush, with beautifully sized fruits that ripen in September. This medium-sized fruiting bush is well-branched and reaches between 3 m and 5 m (9.8 ft to 16.4 ft) in all directions. It offers a charming spring flowering, with pale yellow pendulous catkins. It will easily fit into ornamental gardens, even small ones. Plant it in ordinary soil that is not too dry: it succeeds everywhere and in all exposures.

Corylus avellana belongs to the Betulaceae family, just like birch trees. It is native to temperate zones of the Northern Hemisphere. It is a small monoecious fruit tree, bearing separate male and female inflorescences on the same individual.

The cultivar 'Webb's Prize Cobb' is a horticultural selection that stands out from the type by the size of its fruits, which are larger and more abundant. It has a bushy habit and spreads by producing shoots at the base. It will reach an average height of 3.5 m (11.5 ft) and a spread of 3 m (9.8 ft) at maturity, depending on the nature of the soil. Its growth is quite fast, especially in deep, fertile, and moist soil. The young branches are brown to olive green, and the bark becomes brown and wrinkled as it ages. The male flowers appear on the plant in the summer and bloom in February-March. They are yellow pendulous catkins, measuring 4 cm (1.6 in) long, and are quite decorative. The female flowers bloom in March-April. They have the shape of a bud, measuring 6 mm to 8 mm (0.2 in to 0.3 in). The green deciduous foliage appears late in May. Very dense, it gives the Corylus its bushy appearance. The leaves are rounded, strongly veined, and measure 6 cm to 10 cm (2.4 in to 3.9 in) long. The fruits that form on 1-year-old shoots are achenes called hazelnuts. They are white and become light brown when ripe. Often grouped in 4, they measure over 2 cm (0.8 in) in diameter. They can be harvested from September onwards.

The lifespan of the common hazel is about 60 years. It will tolerate any soil, but fears excessively dry soils. It is a very hardy and carefree shrub that can be cultivated both as a standalone plant and in groups at the boundaries of the garden. It can also be used in a free hedge, fruit hedge, or windbreak, along with flowering apple trees, amelanchiers, dogwoods, sorb trees, oleasters, and many others. In Europe, it is commonly found in bonsai form.