Cherry laurel hedges divide the gardening community: some appreciate the evergreen, large-leaved privacy screen for its Mediterranean appeal, while for others the cherry laurel is simply the cliche of the new era – not only tasteless but also ecologically worthless.
Undoubtedly, cherry laurel hedges are somewhat too massively represented in one or the other new housing development. Nevertheless, this evergreen hedge has a lot of advantages.
Advantages of a cherry laurel hedge
One of the greatest advantages of the cherry laurel, or Prunus laurocerasus, is its robustness. The evergreen hedges can easily survive heat and drought and can cope with almost any type of soil – they grow as well in poor sandy soils as in heavy clay soils.
A cherry laurel hedge can also withstand so-called root pressure. This means that it will grow even in intensively rooted soil under larger trees and is also shade-tolerant. Like most hedge plants, cherry laurel hedges can be easily trimmed. You can cut older plants right back to the ground without any problems, they will reliably sprout new shoots again.
By the way, cherry laurel is largely immune to serious diseases and pests. The most common pest problems are caused by thick-mouthed weevils and shot hole disease, but neither is life-threatening. Another argument in favor of this plant: it is relatively inexpensive compared to other evergreen hedge plants, such as the glossy medlar, holly, or yew. Since the hedge grows more or less in width, you can also get by with just a few plants, there is no need to get dozens of them.
One thing to keep in mind
When you get a cherry laurel hedge, there are a few things you should know but the most important one is trimming. The hedge trimming itself is somewhat more tedious with the cherry laurel than with many other hedge plants – as long as you have high aesthetic standards. The blades of the motorized hedge shears shred the large leaves quite severely, causing the cut surfaces to dry out and turn brown. If you don’t want this to happen, you will have to trim the cherry laurel manually.
How chould you care Cherry Laurel
However, if you really like the look of cherry laurel, do not be afraid of getting it for your home. It is a beautiful plant that will completely transform your garden and does not require a lot of care.
