10 Reasons to Choose Cherry Laurel Hedging

Cherry Laurel hedging, also commonly known as Common Laurel, is one of our best selling hedging species, securing the top spot in our top 10 hedging plants. The foliage, growth habit and ability to handle a variety of different planting positions are just a few of the components that make Prunus Laurocerasus Rotundifolia such a popular hedging plant, and we have plenty more below…

1. It provides a classic looking hedge, and with a fast growth rate and evergreen foliage, it can provide a quick, lasting screen in your garden.
2. Prunus laurocerasus Rotundifolia is a very adaptable plant, tolerant of both full sun and full shade, and will thrive in all but waterlogged or chalky soils.
3. Common Laurel is not only tolerant of various planting positions, it can also withstand very cold temperatures, making this hardy evergreen ideal for our British winters.
4. The polished, bright-green leaves not only create a wonderful aesthetic feature in your garden but they also have great practical use as they reflect sunshine which can increase the amount of light in your garden.
5. Prunus laurocerasus Rotundifolia will grow into a dense, bushy hedge but there’s no need to worry about the growth getting out of hand as this species is fairly low maintenance, only requiring a trim once a year. It is easy to maintain a neat hedge at around 1.5m to 2.0m.
6. Cherry Laurel is available in all root types, including cell grown, pot grown, bare root and root ball.
7. Prunus laurocerasus hedges can reach a height of up to 5 metres at full maturity, so are useful to grow along a boundary as a dividing element.
8. Cherry Laurel has a number of different uses and can be planted as a feature hedge for ornamental value, for privacy or as a windbreak.
9. The creamy-white racemes that appear in spring have a delicate sweet fragrance and are popular with bees. The berries that emerge in autumn, changing colour from red to black as the season passes, also provide wildlife value as they are a favourite amongst hungry birds.
10. A Cherry Laurel hedge is very effective at reducing noise pollution and so is perfect for gardens that may back onto busy roads.

• When crushed the leaves give off the scent of almonds, which is caused by the cyanolipids in the foliage that can release cyanide and benzaldehyde.
• Prunus Laurocerasus Rotundifolia is known by a number of different names which include: Cherry Laurel, Common Laurel, English Laurel, European Cherry Laurel, Laurier-armande, Cherry-bay and Versailles Laurel.
• Glendurgan’s maze at Glendurgan National Trust Garden in Cornwall is made completely from Cherry Laurel. It has to be clipped between 3-5 times a year to keep it looking neat and all the cuttings have to be carried in baskets through the maze to the entrance to be disposed of – the gardeners in charge of pruning must know the maze like the back of their hand!
• The leaves of Common Laurel were used in the past by entymologists (scientists that study insects) to kill insect specimens without causing physical damage. This was done by sealing them in a container with crushed leaves. The crushed leaves can also be mixed with water and used to deter insect pests in the garden.
• During the 70s and 80s, Laurel was commonly used as a Christmas decoration, often hung up in shops and butchers, and Laurel wreaths are still used in commemoration ceremonies today.

If you have any questions about Common Laurel hedge plants, or anything else relating to your garden, please tweet us @best4hedging and we'll be happy to help.