Do You Need Two Hazelnut Varieties to Get Nuts?

Yes — in almost every practical situation you need at least two hazelnut varieties to produce a crop. This is one of the most important facts to know before you plant a hazelnut, and not knowing it is the single most common reason gardeners are disappointed by barren bushes for years on end.

Why One Plant Is Not Enough

Hazelnut is self-incompatible. It has a genetic system that recognises its own pollen and rejects it before fertilisation can occur. This prevents inbreeding and maintains genetic diversity in wild populations, but for a garden grower it means a single plant will never fruit regardless of how well it grows or how many catkins it produces. The pollen from your tree needs to land on the female flowers of a genetically different variety to complete fertilisation and start nut development.

What Counts as a Different Variety

The key word is genetically different. Two plants of the same named variety — say, two plants of 'Nottingham' — are genetically the same and cannot cross-pollinate each other. Suckers taken from one plant are genetically identical to the parent and also cannot pollinate each other. You need two different named varieties: for example, 'Nottingham' and 'Cosford', or 'Butler' and 'Ennis'. Nurseries selling hazelnuts for fruit production will usually state compatible combinations.

Compatible Variety Combinations

Several tried-and-tested pairings work well in UK gardens. 'Cosford' and 'Nottingham' are frequently recommended together as their flowering periods overlap reliably. 'Webb's Prize Cob' pairs well with 'Cosford'. In commercial orchards, 'Gunslebert' is widely used as a polliniser. For continental or American hazelnut varieties the pairing requirements differ; always check before purchasing. When in doubt, plant three varieties from different parents — this almost guarantees that at least one pollination combination will succeed each year.

How Close Do They Need to Be?

Hazelnut pollen is wind-borne and can travel significant distances under ideal conditions. In open farmland this can be fifty metres or more. In a typical walled or sheltered garden, reliable pollination is most consistent with plants within ten to fifteen metres of each other. Closer is better. Two hazelnuts planted two metres apart will cross-pollinate far more reliably than two planted at opposite ends of a long, hedged garden. If space is limited, plant both varieties in the same large planting pit at least two metres apart from each other.

A Note on Wild Hazelnuts Nearby

If you live near hedgerows or woodland containing wild hazelnut (Corylus avellana), there is sometimes enough ambient pollen to provide partial pollination of a solitary garden plant. Wild hazelnut is a different selection from named varieties but is genetically compatible. However, results from this distant pollination are variable and unreliable. A deliberate second named variety in your garden is a far more dependable solution.