We Grow From SeedGolden Bough Tree Farm

NUT TREES

HAZEL

Thoreau commented on the lumbermen of his time: "Thank God they could not cut down the clouds."

Corylus avellena X
HAZEL FILBERT Z3/3m ‡
We cross the large-nut European Filbert with American Hazel to increase frost hardiness. Though shade tolerant, Hazels in full sun produce a dense multi-stemmed clump; a food-laden screen. Uninvasive roots. Plant as close as 3m to enhance pollination.

HICKORY

In his youth the landowner should devote his attention to planting. He should think a long time about building, but planting is a thing not to be thought about, but done.
- Marcus Cato - 150 B.C.

Carya ovata
SHAGBARK HICKORY Z4?/17m
Distinguished shade tree with shaggy bark. Rarely offered because of lengthy tap root. Named PocoHicora for the rich milk Indians extracted from the crushed nuts by boiling. Nuts attractive to wildlife. A fine Shagbark Hickory can be seen on John A. MacDonald's lawn in Kingston, ON.

Carya laciniosa
SHELLBARK HICKORY Z4?/18m
Though native to rich, lowland soils from S.W. Ontario to Iowa, these handsome giants flourish on our glacial till. Sometimes called Kingnut, its variable seed can be as large as walnuts and just as edible. Beautiful leaves and buds. Likes water nearby and will even tolerate seasonal flooding.

Carya illinoiensis
PECAN Z5b?/10m
Meant for Hickory aficionados and collectors, this northern-hardy Pecan won't produce the big, edible nuts of Georgia unless global warming speeds up. A worthy conversation piece, nonetheless.

EDIBLE CHESTNUT

Castanea x dentata
AMERICAN HYBRID CHESTNUT Z4b?/12-16m
Destroyed in the late 19th century by an imported blight, the magnificent American Chestnut can now survive only when crossed with its blight resistant Asian cousin. The resulting hybrid, a sparkling ornamental, gives a generous supply of large edible nuts protected by a bristly, squirrel-proof casing. The re-emergence of this tree could prove economically and spiritually significant.

OAK

Quercus macrocarpa

Quercus macrocarpa
BUR OAK Z2b/16m
Hardier form of White Oak. Perhaps the largest of the original hardwoods remaining in Eastern Canada. Tolerant of pollution & varied soils. Survives Maritime damp and Prairie temperatures where its corky bark insulates it from grass fires. Rugged bole & convoluted limbs impart an elemental or Old Man of the Woods appearance.

Quercus bicolor
SWAMP WHITE OAK Z4?/15m
A quality southern oak hardy further north. Bicolor leaves, glossy on top with velvety beneath. Its branch bark exfoliates revealing lighter inner colors. Likes rich bottomlands, the preferred native oak for floodplains.

Quercus velutina
BLACK OAK Z5/10m
From seed picked at Toronto's famed oak savannah in High Park. Variably adaptive further north, this huge, beautiful shade tree is well worth a try particularly on sandy till. Progress reports appreciated.

WALNUT

Streams are the blood veins of a mountain, the vegetation its hair, the clouds & mists its expression.
Kuo Hsi, 13th Century The Great Message of Forests

Juglans nigra
BLACK WALNUT Z3?/19m
Vigorous, stately ornamental combining valuable lumber with an edible nut. Deep root system thrives in moist well-drained loam. The foliage attracts the luna moth. Intolerant of full shade. Golden Bough now enjoys a small walnut plantation started in 1974.

Juglans cinerea X Juglans ailantifolia
BUARTNUT Z4/13m
A vigorous hybrid between Butternut and the less hardy Asian Heartnut. A heavy bearer of highly edible, easy-to-crack nuts. Disease resistant and fast growing.

CHESTNUT

Aesculus (Flowers) Aesculus hippocastanum
HORSE CHESTNUT Z4b/12m
Largest of our flowering trees. Its glistening 'conkers' were once fed to horses to increase their stamina. Though native to Anatolia, our seedlings come from the furthest north Horse Chestnut we know. Tall variety: Produces large candelabras of flowers every year. Outgrows southern stock.

Aesculus glabra (Nuts)

Aesculus glabra
OHIO BUCKEYE Z2b/9m
The hardiest and fastest growing of nut trees. Vigorous even on the prairies. Its dense round head gives heavy shade or screening. Large waxy buds, pale yellow flowers. Fruits early in life. Fallen Buckeyes are second only to apples as our sheep's favourite autumn food.

Aesculus octandra in bloom

The flower candles and large drooping leaves of the stately Yellow Buckeye.

Aesculus octandra
YELLOW BUCKEYE Z3b/13m
 Appalachian native. Largest of the Buckeyes, the genus named for the white spot or 'deer eye' at the nut's base. Soft yet strong wood. Flowers variable, yellow to pink in big clusters. Specimens at Mt. Vernon were planted by George Washington.

Aesculus pavia
DWARF RED BUCKEYE Z4/5m
Open, wide-spreading small tree or shrub. Produces red flowers and small nut capsules. From S. Appalachia. Frost hardy but rare in the north.

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