Juglans ailantifolia ?Westfield?

Westfield Heartnut

Juglans ailantifolia ‘Westfield’
Westfield Heartnut / Japanese Heartnut

Juglans ailantifolia ‘Westfield’ is a deciduous nut tree and heartnut selection of Japanese walnut grown for ornamental shade and edible, heart-shaped nuts. It has large compound green foliage, a rounded shade-tree habit, and produces clusters of medium to large brown nuts with mild, sweet, bitter-free kernels. Stark Bro’s lists ‘Westfield’ as a grafted Japanese walnut/heartnut that reaches about 20–25 ft. tall, bears in 3–6 years, and ripens in early September in Zone 5.

Type: Deciduous nut tree
Mature Size: 20–25 ft. wide × 20–25 ft. tall
USDA Zones: 4a–9b
Form: Small to medium rounded shade / nut tree
Light: Full sun
Soil / Water: Loamy, well-drained soil; moderate water, especially during establishment and nut development; adaptable to poorer soils once established
Bloom Time / Length: Spring; green to yellow male catkins and small female flowers, wind-pollinated and not showy
Wildlife: Nuts may attract squirrels, chipmunks, deer, and other wildlife; flowers are wind-pollinated rather than showy for bees or butterflies.

Features & Landscape Uses:
Good for edible landscapes, home nut plantings, small orchards, large yards, wildlife plantings, and shade where a smaller walnut-type tree is wanted. ‘Westfield’ is valued for its unusual heart-shaped nuts, sweet mild flavor, and easier cracking compared with many black walnuts. Oregon State notes that heartnut is a form of Japanese walnut known for heart-shaped nuts, and selected cultivars are grown commercially because the shells split at the seam and release heart-shaped kernels in one or two pieces.

Pollination:
A pollinator is required for best nut set. Stark lists the pollination distance at 75–250 ft. and names Stark® Bountiful™ Butternut as the best pollinator for ‘Westfield’. Heartnuts are generally only partially self-pollinating, so planting two or more different heartnut/Japanese walnut selections or a compatible butternut-type pollinator improves production.

Care:
Plant in full sun with well-drained soil and enough room for the canopy. Water regularly while young and during dry periods when nuts are developing. Prune in late winter to remove damaged, crossing, or poorly placed limbs and to develop strong structure. Watch for walnut anthracnose, leaf spot, cankers, walnut husk fly, caterpillars, and occasional graft/rootstock issues. Like other walnuts, heartnut may produce juglone, so avoid planting highly sensitive plants too close to the root zone.

Plant type

Nut Tree

Height

20-25'

Width

20-25'

Hardiness zones

4–9

Sunlight

Full Sun

Growth rate

Moderate

Leaf color

Green

Fall color

Green

Attracts

Bees, Birds, Squirrels

Soil

Moist well-drained, Rich

Landscape use

Nuts

Shape

Rounded

Drought tolerant

No