SPOTLIGHT ON: HAZEL
Hazel is ideal for making all sorts of essentials – from basic bean poles and pea sticks to plant supports and arches.
You need basic hedgerow hazel, Corylus avellana. You may find plants in your garden, but if not, you can buy a pot-grown plant from a garden centre or get a cheap bundle of young bare-root saplings.
The best place to plant a row is at an allotment or as a country-style hedge. A lone plant would fit in a wild corner. Since it’s a native countryside plant there’s no need for elaborate soil preparation – just dig a hole, then pop your hazel in. If you are planting a row, space them 6ft apart.
When new growth starts next spring, cut the tops down to about 6in to encourage young plants to start branching out. It will be a couple of years before you can start to cut sticks, and how long you wait depends on the thickness and length you want.
Pea sticks are slim, twiggy stems, usually 5-6ft long and a year old, used for supporting rows of tall or sweet peas.
Shorter lengths can be wired together to make perennial support frames that would cost a fortune at a garden centre.
For bean poles, you need longer, stronger stems – about 6ft-8ft long and 1/2in thick at the base. These will probably be two or three years old.