I have 5 hazelnut trees in my garden - planted a couple of years ago so they're still very small. I planted them in my lawn, on a sloped area and pretty much forgot about them. They're still alive!!
So, I want to 'anchor' them into the overall garden design. I have various areas of wildflower meadow, 'food forest' etc. Essentially lawn all down the centre with big sweeping 'beds' of orchard, meadow etc around the edges. I need to create a sweeping 'bed' around my hazelnut trees but I'm not sure what to plant under them.
I like to stick to little themes - I like my garden to look nice AND be productive. I also want diversity for soil health etc.
My initial thinking is just to leave a wildflower area to develop under the trees. Then plant various ground cover plants and other shrubs amongst it. As the trees grow some things will be shaded out - I like the idea of letting it develop naturally to a degree - with a bit of help from me.
I've read mint is a good companion of hazelnuts. Presumably mint would be contained OK as the whole area is surrounded by regularly mowed lawn? What would you see in nature in a hazelnut wood?
So, I want to 'anchor' them into the overall garden design. I have various areas of wildflower meadow, 'food forest' etc. Essentially lawn all down the centre with big sweeping 'beds' of orchard, meadow etc around the edges. I need to create a sweeping 'bed' around my hazelnut trees but I'm not sure what to plant under them.
I like to stick to little themes - I like my garden to look nice AND be productive. I also want diversity for soil health etc.
My initial thinking is just to leave a wildflower area to develop under the trees. Then plant various ground cover plants and other shrubs amongst it. As the trees grow some things will be shaded out - I like the idea of letting it develop naturally to a degree - with a bit of help from me.
I've read mint is a good companion of hazelnuts. Presumably mint would be contained OK as the whole area is surrounded by regularly mowed lawn? What would you see in nature in a hazelnut wood?