The Nuttery

This area is used to grow filberts and hazel nuts and spring flowering plants.

Cobnuts & filberts, cultivated varieties of hazel, have been grown for centuries. Spring in the Nuttery sees the filberts bedecked with catkins. At this time of year the filberts were struck lightly with a stick to release the pollen from the catkins to pollinate the tiny, brush-like female flowers (nutkins).

Orchards of old were dug over in the winter to kill weeds and control the larvae of the nut weevil. It has now been found that planting the Nuttery with grass and wild flowers such as primrose, cowslip and snakes’ head fritillaries creates an ecologically balanced environment in which the nuts thrive.

Botanical nameCommon name
Corylus avellana ‘Cosford Cobnut’Hazelnut, Cob
Corylus maxima ‘Red Filbert’Filbert nut
Corylus maxima ‘White Filbert’White filbert
Fritillaria meleagrisSnakes head fritillary
Primula verisCowslip
Snake’s head fritillary (Fritillaria meleagris)

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