No, this is not story of dark and dastardly deeds, or a gruesome YouTube clip of an ill-treated puppy or indeed anything else nasty your mind can imagine ….. it’s all about a tree!

My house sitting hostess, Lee, has used these contorted twigs to great effect to create a Christmas Tree with a difference.

I thought that this was made with twisted willow, but Lee took me to her garden where her Tortured Filbert was flourishing.

It even looks a bit sad in the garden, don’t you think? The leaves suggest it badly needs watering but this is just the way it is! This is how it looks now ….

 

And this is how it would look in the winter when it loses all its foliage ….

When I googled for more information I found out that it is also known as a Corkscrew Hazel or Harry Lauder’s Walking Stick.

Now I have to google Harry Lauder …. life is a learning curve 🙂

PS: Here’s Harry ….. and where you can find out more about him