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Corylus fargesii

basic
9 years ago

I rarely do mail order, but I've got this one coming in mid April. I've been looking for it ever since seeing one at Morton Arb a few years back. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they actually have it in stock, which has been a problem in the past. Anyhow, I'm curious to know if anyone has experience with it and how it has done for you? I haven't picked a planting site, but I'll likely try to find a somewhat protected site since it is listed as z5.

Here is a link that might be useful: Farges filbert

Comments (10)

  • lkz5ia
    9 years ago

    I think its a winner, seems like my young turkish hazels bordering on zone5/6 hardiness, this young plant did better than them during the horrible winter of last year. Not sure about your zone though.

    This post was edited by lkz5ia on Sat, Jan 31, 15 at 12:00

  • lkz5ia
    9 years ago

    {{gwi:2121079}}

  • ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
    9 years ago

    if the seller has them dormant ...there might not be much reason... to wait for delivery until april ...

    i am sure.. an attached garage is at least one or two zones warmer ....

    i learned this trick with buying highly sought after hosta ... if i waited until planting time in my zone.. those bat turds down south.. bought out all the stock .... sooo ... if dormant.. i started taking delivery early ... i would have a wheelbarrow of media to shove them into ... to hold dormancy .... usually i had to bring it indoors ... the media.. to thaw and SLIGHTLY wet it .... etc

    ken

  • lkz5ia
    9 years ago

    hmm, think most reliable nurseries reserve them if you have bought them.

  • basic
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    IKZ, I was under the impression that Turkish Hazel was fully hardy through z4, so I'm a bit surprised yours struggled. I planted one at the old place about 10 years ago, but haven't been back since 2009 to see it. I'm a fan of C. colurna, which is one of the reasons I wanted to obtain C. fargesii. With that peeling bark, I'm guessing it will increase in popularity.

  • arbordave (SE MI)
    9 years ago

    Basic, are you in northern WI (zone 4a)? C. fargesii may be at its hardiness limit up there. C. colurna's hardiness is probably somewhat variable depending on provenance.

    C. fargesii appears to be resistant to eastern filbert blight, which can be a serious issue on C. colurna in this area.

  • basic
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    We're considered to be z4, with z3 starting just a bit north of us. This is of course arbitrary, and I don't pay all that much attention to it. That doesn't mean I'm going to spend a lot of money and effort trying to grow Magnolia grandiflora, but a relatively untested tree like Farges Filbert is certainly worth a try. My loamy sand soil suits a lot of trees, with the keys being to maintain adequate moisture and the root zone cool. No data to back this up, but I believe a lighter soil is better for a marginally hardy tree than heavy clay.

  • davidrt28 (zone 7)
    9 years ago

    "No data to back this up, but I believe a lighter soil is better for a marginally hardy tree than heavy clay."
    Generally true, although it depends on what you are trying to keep alive and in what climate. I suspect if I were in the plains states and I were trying to keep a sufficiently-hardy rhododendron alive, I'd prefer the moisture retentive clay soil to hold every bit of winter moisture possible. Even here with my heavy winter rainfall compared to the midwest and loamy clay soil, I'm shocked how quickly NW winter winds can dry the surface of it out.

    If you are sourcing it from Rarefind, they wouldn't have put it in the catalog if they hadn't had plenty of them. So you should be ok.

  • basic
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Yes, it is coming from Rarefind. One thing the article I linked doesn't mention is the edible nuts it produces, and how they compare to other species in this genus. Corylus Americana grows wild in my area, but the squirrels usually harvest the nuts before I can get at them. I'm hoping C. fargesii nuts would be equally attractive to squirrels and other critters. I've lost a lot of native Northern Pin Oaks to wilt, and trying to replace them with something suitable for wildlife, but also reasonably ornamental yet not invasive. I don't think the non-native Corylus species have shown shown a tendency to invasiveness.

  • lkz5ia
    9 years ago

    I'm sure even if they aren't as attractive, squirrels will still bury them, its why there are hundreds of bitternut hickories coming up everywhere here.

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