Corylus maxima Purpurea - Red Filbert

Corylus maxima 'Purpurea', commonly called purple hazel, is a variety of highly ornamental fruiting bush. It forms an elegant upright bush with exceptional deciduous foliage of dark purple and pendulous yellow catkins bordered with red, standing out against the bare wood and illuminating the garden in the heart of winter. In August-September, it produces large, delicious reddish-brown hazelnuts. Popular for hedgerows, plant with other hazelnut trees to promote good fruiting, or position it in the background of a flower bed. It is a vigorous and hardy bush in all climates, growing in any preferably rich and moist soil, in full sun or partial shade.

Corylus maxima belongs to the Betulaceae family, just like the birch. It is native to southeastern Europe and the Caucasus. It is a medium-sized, monoecious fruit tree, bearing separate male and female inflorescences on the same individual. The purple hazel is a light-loving species that prefers neutral to slightly acidic fertile soil, that is not too dry. Excessively hot and dry locations should be avoided.

The purple hazel is a horticultural selection from the mid-19th century that is often planted as an ornamental bush. It differs from the Lambert hazel by its purple colour and yellow catkins bordered with red. The bush will reach about 5 m (16.4 ft) in height and 3 m (9.8 ft) in width. Its young branches, covered in hairs, are dark purple and become covered with a light brown bark that darkens over time. Flowering occurs in two stages: in February, the male flowers appear, gathered in pendulous catkins 6 cm (2.4 in) long, which are very popular with bees. In a second stage, the inconspicuous female flowers bloom in March. They have the shape of a bud, 6 mm to 8mm (0.2 in to 0.3 in) in size, partially concealing bright red stigmas. The deciduous foliage appears late in May. Very dense, it gives the shrub its bushy appearance. The leaves are ovate, strongly veined, slightly crisped and rolled, and measure 5 cm to 12 cm (2 in to 4.7 in) long. Initially very dark purple, almost black, they turn purplish-green in summer. The fruits that form on 1-year-old shoots are called hazelnuts. They are large and oblong, surrounded by very long involucres. They are white and become reddish-brown when ripe. Grouped in 1 to 4, they measure 2 cm (0.8 in) in diameter and ripen from August to September. Partially sterile, it is recommended to plant several hazelnut trees at close distance to obtain abundant fruiting. Also, be sure to remove the numerous suckers that will quickly colonise the space!

The purple hazel creates a beautiful focal point in the winter garden, allowing you to admire its large colourful catkins on the bare wood, forming a spectacular candelabra. Easy to grow in ordinary soil, it is not recommended for very dry situations. It is obviously stunning planted as a specimen, especially in winter when its unique silhouette emerges against a leaden sky. It is also commonly used in free hedges. It could also be planted in a Japanese-style garden, in a sunny location. One could imagine a small blue-flowered clematis (Clematis alpina or integrifolia) spreading at the base of a mature tree while climbing its branches.