Hazelnut is an easy-to-grow shrub with beautiful fall foliage and producing lots of summer hazelnuts.  It's a great addition to a Food Forest.
 
     The nuts typically are harvested in the fall and can be roasted and eaten, ground into flour or left for the birds and squirrels, turkey and other large birds. 
 
     If you want a good harvest, plant at least a half-dozen in a partly shady spot, and there should be plenty to go around.
 
     Hazelnut also is a larval host to dozens of moth species including the Polyphemus and Lo moths.
 
     Hazelnut makes a great screen or hedge and also grows well in open woodland areas where it can stretch out.  Yellowish-brown catkins appear late winter. Fall color ranges from bright yellow to shades of orange, red and purple. 
 
     Photos: Creative Commons