Corkscrew hazel

Contorted or corkscrew shrubs are popular features, few more so than the corkscrew hazel or Harry Lauder's walkingstick. The hazel species, C. avellana, is too large for most gardens except in boundary hedges, but many garden varieties are more restrained. The corkscrew hazel will ultimately reach 6m (20ft), but only half that in 25 years because it is slow-growing. Winter is its season, when the curiously contorted stems stand out against a clear sky and then develop their fine catkins before the spring foliage appears. Fully hardy, this shrub prefers sunny or semi-shaded sites in fertile, well-drained soil. The Royal Horticultural Society has given it the prestigious Award of Garden Merit.