Companion Plants for Hazelnuts

Pollination Plants

• The best companion for hazelnut plants is more hazelnut plants. The shrub reproduces only through cross-pollination, and gardeners must plant more than one to produce nuts. Hazelnuts are wind-pollinated, so you needn't add companion plants that draw pollinating insects, like bees and butterflies. Plant hazelnuts in full sunlight to partial shade. The shrub will thrive in different lighting conditions, but must have well-drained soil. Hazelnut shrubs grow 10 to 16 feet tall, with a narrow spread of 8 to 13 inches. The shrubs can be grown outdoors in U.S. Department of Agriculture Plant Hardiness Zones 4 through 9.

Aphid Repellents

• Aphids are a common hazelnut pest. These sucking insects deplete nutrients from plants, potentially harming or curtailing your hazelnut harvest. Plant aphid-repelling companions near the shrub to keep it healthy. Coriander (Coriandrum sativum) and dill (Anethum graveolens) repel aphids and naturally keep them away from your hazelnuts.

Other Repelling Plants

• To repel a wider range of insects, add catnip (Nepeta cataria) and garlic (Allium vineale) to the garden. They will repel leafrollers, which feed on foliage, and weevils, which feed on hazelnuts. The strong smell of these plants also drives away other insect pests, including aphids.

Distraction Tree

• If you can't repel a pest, give it something else to chew on. Eastern redcedar (Juniperus virginiana) trees make good companion plants for hazelnuts because they attract wildlife. If deer, birds and small pests are eating the fruits of the eastern redcedar, they aren't eating your hazelnuts. These trees are large in size, growing as high as 51 feet with a canopy 30 feet wide at maturity. Eastern redcedar is native to the United States and cold hardy up to Zone 2, so it will grow nicely in the same garden with hazelnuts. Eastern redcedar trees need moist soil and full sunlight.