Planting my American Hazelnut trees

 The Latin name of the American Hazelnut is Corylus americana. It's a long lived tree or shrub (depending on how you prune it) that will produce  lots of tasty nuts (a bit smaller than the European Hazelnut) for up to 80 years once established! So why aren't they in more gardens?
The answer is Eastern Filbert Blight,  a disease similar to the blight that destroyed most Chestnut trees in the US. While no European Hazelnuts have been bred that can resist this native disease, a breeding program with americana has produced resistant cultivars. I bought two of these, 'Yamhill' and 'Jefferson' from Territorial Seed Company last fall, and my plants arrived a couple of weeks ago.
I was really impressed by the roots on the plants! Here's a pic:

I soaked the roots in water for 4 hours, then planted them eight feet apart (they need to be close enough for cross-pollination) in the bed by the back fence, then gave them each about five gallons of water. The next day I mulched with the pile of hardwood mulch next to them.

It's been two weeks of wild weather, with temps down to zero, and lots of snow and rain, but the buds on the Hazelnuts are getting bigger and they are definitely alive! If all goes well I'll be fighting the squirrels for nuts in two or three years.
More on other tree plantings soon.