Cherry laurel

Light and exposure

Cherry laurel grows equally well in full sun and in deep shade, which makes it the most versatile hedging shrub around. It even tolerates the side of a house that never sees direct sun, or the foot of a large tree, where almost nothing else takes root. In full sun, the foliage simply stays denser and glossier.

That is exactly what makes it the safe choice for blocking a view or backing onto a shared wall that gets no direct light: nothing else grows that fast in those conditions. Just avoid permanently waterlogged soil, everything else suits it.

Watering

In the first year after planting, water regularly, especially in dry spells, while the roots settle in. A young plant short of water at the start often carries the setback for several seasons afterwards.

Once well rooted, cherry laurel becomes genuinely undemanding and is happy, most summers, with the ordinary rainfall of a temperate climate. Generous watering only becomes useful again during a drought lasting several weeks, recognisable by leaves hanging limp by the end of the day.

Soil and repotting

Cherry laurel is not fussy about soil and copes just as well with heavy clay as with ordinary garden ground, provided it is not permanently waterlogged. A little compost at planting simply helps it get away faster.

Its one real weak point is very chalky soil. Iron becomes less available to the plant, and the leaves turn yellow between the veins, a chlorosis problem seen on ground developed over limestone bedrock. An application of chelated iron or well-rotted compost corrects it.

Temperature and humidity

Cherry laurel handles a temperate winter without any trouble, with wood that shrugs off temperatures down to -15, -18 °C, USDA zone 7. It is far hardier than its southern-looking outline suggests.

The occasional severe winter, when the thermometer drops noticeably lower or an icy wind settles in for several days, can scorch the foliage: leaves turn brown, dry out and sometimes drop in large numbers. The plant almost never dies from it, it comes back from sound wood or even from the stump once growth restarts, looking a bit bare but very much alive.

Pruning and upkeep

Unlike most hedges, cherry laurel is best pruned with secateurs rather than a hedge trimmer. Its large leaves get sliced in half by a mechanical blade and turn brown along the cut within days, leaving a freshly trimmed hedge looking scorched for weeks. Secateurs, though slower, cut each stem cleanly between two leaves and avoid the problem entirely.

Prune in early summer, once the spring flush has finished, with a second light pass in late summer if the hedge has grown a lot. Never prune during a frost or just before one, freshly cut wood is more vulnerable then.

Pests and diseases

The most characteristic disease of cherry laurel is shot hole disease: brown spots appear on the leaves, then their centres dry out and drop away, leaving neat round holes clearly visible. It is encouraged by moisture sitting on the foliage and mainly affects hedges that are poorly ventilated or pruned at the wrong time.

Silver leaf disease, caused by a fungus that gives the leaves a silvery sheen before they wither, is rarer but hard to treat: cutting out and burning affected branches is the best response. Aphids and scale insects sometimes settle on young shoots without real harm, a good blast of water usually dislodges them. On chalky soil, it is more often yellow leaves with green veins that give away iron chlorosis.

Propagation

Taking cuttings is by far the simplest way to multiply a cherry laurel, and it is in fact how entire hedges were planted cheaply in the first place. Take semi-ripe shoots, neither too soft nor fully woody, at the end of summer, strip the lower leaves and plant them in a mix of compost and sand. Rooting takes several months but succeeds almost every time.

Growing from seed also happens naturally: blackbirds happily spread the stones after eating the black fruit, and it is not unusual to find young self-sown cherry laurels at the foot of a mother hedge. A cut stump also resprouts very readily from the base, which explains why this plant is so hard to get rid of once established.

Toxicity

Cherry laurel is toxic in every part, leaves and stones alike, which contain cyanogenic compounds that release hydrogen cyanide when chewed. Ingestion can cause digestive upset, and even more serious symptoms in children and pets. The black fruit flesh itself is less of a concern, but access to the stones should be prevented, and pruning debris should not be left where grazing animals can reach it.

Month-by-month care calendar

Green Hub tips

• Never prune cherry laurel with an electric hedge trimmer if you want to avoid browning at the cut edges: secateurs take longer but leave a clean finish.
• If a severe winter scorches the leaves, do not dig it up too fast: it almost always comes back from the wood or the stump the following spring.
• Allow 80 to 100 centimetres between plants for a hedge that closes up quickly without crowding itself.
• Every part of the plant, leaves and stones alike, is toxic: keep children and pets away from fallen fruit.