Hazelnuts are very hardy - to zone 3, so your plant is well-equipped to tolerate your winters with no additional help from you. The roots are the most tender part of the plant.

Al

I've been waiting with anxiety to say the least.
Just yesterday I dug out my burlap.

This will most likely be a stupid question.

It definitely appears that you know your "stuffies"

I really don't know how deep our frost level is 'round here.

It does, as I'm sure you are aware, reach a minus 20 degrees below zero.
(shivering just thinking 'bout what's yet to come

I think our 30" of snow last year was a good protection (for all plants I believe.)

Most appreciate your time and help, Jaemy

How deep the frost goes isn't too important, but how low the soil temperature is, IS important. Temperate plants aren't killed because the soil freezes, or even because the unbound water (inter-cellular) in wood freezes .... it's when the bound water (intra-cellular - the water inside plant cells) freezes that cells/tissue die(s). Fortunately, nature has a solution (literally) for the problem. In fall, the level of sugar and other solutes in cells builds up. Combined with water moving out of cells, it makes sort of an anti-freeze solution in cells that allows them to withstand temperatures well below freezing without the solution itself freezing. If you're really worried, just toss a heavy layer of mulch material down that extends beyond the drip line ..... but I think it's just extra, unnecessary effort. ;o)

Al

Hoooooooray.................I'll rest easier.............I've for yrs. now been covering the garden with pine needles and Day Lilies cuttings..............no problems thus far.........so I guess the pine needles will work on "my baby" as well...................Smiles, Jaemy

My small Harry did just fine last winter, with the deep snow and very cold weather. Not much -20F, but fairly cold.

I was chicken, put a fence around it for the rabbit protection all winter. My rabbits seem to like sampling all the shrubs, so I thought it best. Some bushes don't attract the rabbits at all, so this could have been overkill. Just that they get pretty hungry with deep snow cover.

My Harry had the cute catkins in the spring, with odd leaves all summer. To me, leaves appeared sort of limp looking, like shrub was thirsty, even when well watered with the constant rain last spring.

I find the Harry to be interesting, hope it will gain size quickly. I got a smaller, MUCH cheaper model at the 2008 fall sales. I do think it is much more attractive leafless. I think your Harry will probably be fine over winter, even a very cold winter.

I kept any straight up shoots of growth trimmed off. My bush put out several such sprouts over the summer, just clipped them off close to the point of origin. This was suggested to me by the seller of the shrub, to direct growth energy towards the curly branching stems.

I've read this thread a couple of times, and debated whether I wanted to throw cold water on the OP's day and bring this up, but ...

It has been my experience that Harry Lauder and most of the other European filbert cultivars that were NOT bred in the past 10-15 years all tend to die out at around 6-10 years of age from Eastern Filbert Blight when grown in the eastern/midwestern US.

There are new cultivars that are resistant (such as Lewis and Clark) and even immune (Yamhill) to this disease, but Harry Lauder isn't one of them.

The best thing I can suggest is to plant a new one every three or four years, because, unfortunately, I think it's doomed once it reaches a certain age. I don't think that there is really a very effective treatment, either.

Cornell says you can use Kocide to treat for this. Personally, I still have my doubts, as someone who has lost about 8 or 9 different filberts to this disease. But, worth a try.

Here is a link that might be useful: Cornell University Factsheet on Eastern Filber Blight

My HL Walking Stick is 11 yrs old now, and has barely grown
more than 24 inches. However, it is very hardy, and I've never seen any critter eating on it. The leaves have a natural curl to them. Doesn't mean it needs water at all. Actually, I would never have more than one. It isn't such a great plant while in leaf, but its' beauty lies in the
contorted branches during the winter months. Quite handsome against a white winter snow-scape. Mine has the west sunset behind it. Very cool. Pondy