Purple Giant Hazelnut
Corylus maxima 'Purpurea'
Height: 15 feet
Spread: 15 feet
Sunlight:
Hardiness Zone: 5a
Other Names: Giant Hazel, Giant Filbert
Description:
An excellent choice for a large color accent in the landscape, this is a large sprawling shrub with rather coarse deep purple foliage, holds its color well; use with restraint, makes a great solitary specimen for the front yard
Ornamental Features
Purple Giant Hazelnut has attractive purple deciduous foliage on a plant with an upright spreading habit of growth. The large serrated round leaves are highly ornamental but do not develop any appreciable fall colour. It produces brown nuts in mid fall.
Landscape Attributes
Purple Giant Hazelnut is a dense multi-stemmed deciduous shrub with an upright spreading habit of growth. Its relatively coarse texture can be used to stand it apart from other landscape plants with finer foliage.
This shrub will require occasional maintenance and upkeep, and can be pruned at anytime. It is a good choice for attracting squirrels to your yard. It has no significant negative characteristics.
Purple Giant Hazelnut is recommended for the following landscape applications;
- Accent
- Hedges/Screening
- General Garden Use
Planting & Growing
Purple Giant Hazelnut will grow to be about 15 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 15 feet. It tends to be a little leggy, with a typical clearance of 3 feet from the ground, and is suitable for planting under power lines. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for 40 years or more.
This shrub does best in full sun to partial shade. It is very adaptable to both dry and moist locations, and should do just fine under average home landscape conditions. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America.
