American hazelnuts in their leafy husks on the branch

American Hazelnut (Bundle of 3)

$79.99

Reliable shipping

Flexible returns

Pollination Needs a partner

Bloom group 4 of 7 (Mid)

See trees that will pollenize it

Ripening

Will it finish before your first hard freeze?

Check it on the Ripening Map (opens in a new tab)

At a glance: American Hazelnut is a hazelnut tree rated hardy to zone 2 in our ratings (winters to -50°F), self-incompatible, so plant two genetically different plants, and it ripens about Aug 24 to Sep 14 in Missoula (our Missoula estimate).

Hardy to	Zone 2 to 9. A bare number means the whole of zone 2, colder half included (winters to -50°F). Our notes have it taking -40°F. Find your zone with our cold hardiness calculator.
Pollination	Self-Incompatible - Plant Two Genotypes. Bloom group 4 of 7 (mid), midwinter pollen shed here. American hazelnut sheds pollen from wind-blown catkins in late winter to earliest spring, long before fruit trees bloom. It needs two genetically different plants to set nuts, and a bundle of 3 seedlings usually covers that on its own. Good partners we carry: Cortland Hybrid Hazelnut Seedling (Bundle of 3), Hybrid Hazel (Bundle of 3), PCF Best Hazelnut Seedlings (Bundle of 3). Bloom group is our estimate from the variety's origin and relatives. Pollination Charts.
Ripens	About Aug 24 to Sep 14 in Missoula (a Missoula estimate from published sources). Real years swing about a week either way. See the date for your town.
Good for	Feeding wildlife (9/10), windbreaks and hedgerows (7/10), edible nuts (6/10), soil building (6/10). Scores are our own 1 to 10 ratings; 8 and up makes our Best Of lists.
Deer	Sometimes damaged by deer.
What you get	Bare root, 2-3 ft. Shipped or picked up in Missoula in spring, roots wrapped in moist sawdust. Guaranteed to bud out.

Overview

American Hazelnuts are super bulletproof in terms of hardiness, being able to handle well into -40°F temps. Rod McIver grew them in Kalispell for years and consistently saw a crop—at least when the squirrels didn’t beat him to them.

Flavor & Use

These are very tasty nuts, and you’ll enjoy them as long as you can net them. The only downside is that the nuts are very small. Great for fresh eating, in salads, or roasted.

Why Grow Them

American Hazelnuts are hardier than all the other hybrid hazelnuts. So if you’re in an area that can drop below -40°F—where even the hybrid hazelnuts might struggle—these are the ones to grow.

Cold Hardiness

Zone 2 hardy.

Shipping restrictions: Eastern filbert blight

Oregon operates a statewide Hazelnut Nursery Stock Control Area (OAR 603-052-0825) and Washington requires a Certificate of Quarantine Compliance for all incoming Corylus nursery stock, both aimed at Eastern filbert blight. We cannot ship live hazelnut plants to Oregon or Washington. (Hazelnuts shipped as nuts or seed are exempt from these rules.)

Orders placed to a restricted state will be cancelled and refunded.

Questions we get about American Hazelnut

How cold hardy is American Hazelnut?

We rate American Hazelnut hardy to zone 2, which means winters down to about -50°F. Our notes have it taking -40°F. Our ratings come from real winters at our two Montana sites and from trusted growers across the North, not from a catalog average.

When does American Hazelnut ripen?

About Aug 24 to Sep 14 in Missoula, Montana (an estimate built from published sources and our climate). Warmer places run earlier and cooler places later; our ripening map converts the date to your town.

What is American Hazelnut good for?

Our top use scores for American Hazelnut are feeding wildlife (9/10), windbreaks and hedgerows (7/10), edible nuts (6/10), soil building (6/10). Anything scored 8 or higher makes our Best Of lists.

Will deer eat American Hazelnut?

Sometimes. Deer browse American Hazelnut now and then, so protect young plants where deer pressure is high.

What arrives, and when does American Hazelnut ship?

A dormant bare-root plant, roots wrapped in moist sawdust with a vapor barrier, shipped or picked up in Missoula in spring. Sizes offered: 2-3 ft. We guarantee our plants bud out. Stone fruits can be slow, so if one still has not budded out by August 15, write to us and we credit you for the following spring.

Pollination partners

Trees that will pollenize American Hazelnut

American Hazelnut needs pollen from a genetically different plant. Every tree below blooms with it and will do the job. Plant them within about 100 feet.

Bloom group 4 of 7 (Mid)

Pollination Needs a partner

Pollen Good pollenizer

3 trees we carry will pollenize it. 1 in stock now.