hazelnuts

About a year ago I got three hazelnuts from the National Arbor Day Foundation. (Yes, I knew they wouldn't be big but what do you want for basically free?) Two are still sort of alive, and I'm wondering if anyone has any experience with them this far south? It's hot and humid for half the year here. Am I wasting garden space? I haven't fed them anything other than some occasional alfalfa tea and a little compost. Any suggestions would be most welcome.

I don't know anything about hazel nut trees except that Europeans grow them like crazy and use them to make hazelnut cakes that are wonderful. I checked Plant Files and they do seem to grow in your area. In case you haven't:

http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/1602/

Actually, I think the Arbor Day folk generally give out trees that do well in your area.
I have no idea what yours need, but you can probably find out from your county agent and in a google search. It would be wonderful if you could get them to grow in your area. I don't recognize the tree, but the leaf is lovely.

This link is for info on the hazelnut tree. It's from Australia, but gives general information.
http://www.hazelnuts.com.au/planting-growing-hazelnuts.html

Thanks! I'll go to those right now. I know, too, the general gardening rule of first year, sleep; second year, creep; third year, leap. (That's why I haven't yanked them out!)

Yes, you can trust the AD folks on zones, but this is part of a program they're doing to see how well hazelnuts will do all over the country. I send in a report once a year about how they're doing, and didn't have good things to report. But, as above, this is their first year.

brigidlily, I grew the American hazelnut bushes in Virginia. Took 4 years to come on line, but did very well after that. I have not tried nor seen anyone grow hazelnuts in Georgia, If I remember the blurb from the National Arbor Day Foundation correctly, they were a special experimental cultivar. I did not have a place to try them, nor did I anticipate they would do well here. I don't remember the descripion of the NADF cultivar , but the native American hazelnut grows as a shrub with multiple trunks that spread slowly from the roots. It can be pruned to a small tree ( 10-12 ft) but does better when allowed to grow in its its native form.

My Dad has a couple nice big hazelnut bushes growing in Northern Indiana so he brought me a sucker to try. It seemed to take and grew pretty well for awhile but it didn't enjoy the drought and heat and is, at least at ground level, dead. But they may grow okay here in a more normal first year. I'll at least get some more this fall and give them another try hopefully in a better year next year.

Jeff

The only thing I can say about these is that they're not dead. But I'll hang in there with them at least another year. Dill, you're right -- these are that cultivar they're trying to get stats on. Y'all keep your fingers crossed for them!

brigidlily, scroll down to the bottom of the aggie link.
http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/extension/fruitgarden/fruitvariety.html

Thanks, bettydee. That's exactly what I was afraid of. I'll give them a little longer, but even if they grow I doubt I'll get much, if anything, in the way of harvest. Ah, well. Maybe this cultivar will do what others won't.