Harry Lauder's Walking Stick

Only a comedian would look at this tree and declare it a fine specimen from which to cut a walking stick.


This is Sabra's contorted hazel/Corylus avellana 'Contorta', also known as Harry Lauder's Walking Stick--named for the Scottish musician/comedian who used a branch as a staff for a bit of a gag. (This was circa early 20th Century. Sabra doesn't know Harry. I didn't know who Harry was either until I googled him a moment ago--and there he is, in a kilt, with a squiggly stick. Neat.)

This bit of horti-culture is brought to you because it did indeed rain this week, melting all traces of winter, so I'm still working. Bypassed my traditional hibernation date of December 15th so I was getting grumpy until I happened upon this ree-diculous tree, at which point I rolled about in mirth, spilling my meade. Ya, not quite. Anyways, I do like it, and now is the time to look for it, because all the rest of the year it is disguised by its hairy filberty wrinkly leaves. And when the catkins bloom, it gets even better. Comes with it's own Christmas decorations.

The only significant maintenance tips are:
--Harries are grafted onto normal (unfunny) hazel rootstocks which may periodically send up straight suckers, so rip them off if you can (takes the initiating bud with it), or cut them if you can't rip them.
--Once a Harry gets to mature size, I periodically prune out branches in the summertime to create "windows" into the gnarly trunk, so Harry doesn't look like a big hairy filberty wrinkly green blob. These branches are very groovy, and are often used in groovy floral arrangements by Thomas Hobbs, our modern-day horti-cultural icon.

Here's a full shot of this fine speciman. He's squiggling toward the light, as a greenbelt of enormous fir/cedar is behind him.