Heartnuts are also known as the Japanese walnut (Juglans ailantifolia var. cordiformis) although they are really a sport of the normal oval shaped nuts. The cultivated varieties have a heart shaped nut that cracks open on the edge and have been selected for flavour, cracking quality and productivity. Heartnuts are normally hardier than English walnuts (Jugalns regia) and more resistant to walnut blight. Even though they are generally partly self-fertile it’s better to plant two or more cultivars to help pollinisation. They need full sun and well-drained soil and in the first few years concentrate on putting down a long taproot.
During winter it is worth using fleece to protect the grafted area of the tree for the first few years. Trees can grow to 10-15 m in height and width. Heartnuts leaf out during April, generally early/mid season compared to English Walnuts.
| Variety | Description | Availability | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adelphia | US variety from Rutgers' research farm. Large love heart shaped nut, ripens later than CW1 and Imshu. Excellent cracking quality. Protandrous (male flowers before female) | Sold out | |
| Campbell CW1 | Canadian Heartnut that produces a good crop of medium/large nuts, partly self-fertile, late pollinator. |  | No |
| Campbell CW3 | A heavy producer of medium sized nuts on a more compact tree. The nuts will crack out a mixture of halves and whole meats that drop out of the shell freely. It is an early pollinizer. |  | Sold out |
| Campbell CW4 | Heartnut bread by Doug Campbell of Ontario, Early pollinator, Compact tree with a good yield of medium size nuts, late pollinator. |  | No |
| England's Best | Large Size, Large Kernel, Wide Cavity, not convoluted Great taste. Heavy Crop, thin shell | Sold out | |
| Fodermaier | This is an older heartnut selection from Dover Plains NY. It is rated high for cracking quality and production. It produces a large nut which drop out in halves and it ripens mid October. Protandrous , early pollinator. |  | Sold out |
| Grimo Manchurican | US Heartnut that produces a good crop of medium sized easily cracked nuts, partly self-fertile | Sold out | |
| Imschu | Reliable heavy cropping Canadian Heartnut that has medium sized nuts that crack out whole. Partly self-fertile and late pollinator. |  | Sold out |
| Jewel Box | This cultivar of Heartnut was developed in Kentucky. It has a very large nut, and is a good producer; steady cropping every year. | Sold out | |
| Schubert | Canadian Heartnut that produces medium nuts, partly self-fertile, late flowering and vigorous tree, parent of Imschu. |  | A few bare root left |
| Stealth | A large elongated nut and a moderate producer. The nut meat drops freely out of the shell whole. It is an early pollinizer. Nuts ripen 2 weeks after 'Imshu'. |  | No |