Cherry Laurel Planting: How to Grow a Hedge That Gains Up to 2 Feet a Year (and Where Not to Plant It)
Cherry laurel can gain up to 2 feet a year — but plant it wrong and you’ll fight root rot or an invasive spread. Here’s how to do it right.
Cherry laurel earns its reputation as the fastest route to garden privacy: glossy evergreen leaves, a growth rate that can reach up to 2 feet a year once established, and a shrub that shrugs off heavy pruning [1]. But it’s also one of the most misunderstood plants sold at garden centers — two different species share the common name, and in parts of the Pacific Northwest, planting the wrong one has already caused real ecological headaches. Here’s what to know before you dig the first hole, plus the planting, spacing, and care details that get a hedge established without the usual first-year setbacks.
What Is Cherry Laurel, Exactly?
“Cherry laurel” almost always means Prunus laurocerasus — sometimes labeled English or common cherry laurel — a broadleaf evergreen hardy in USDA zones 6a through 8b that reaches 10 to 20 feet tall and 8 to 10 feet wide if left unpruned [1]. In the warmer Southeast, though, garden centers often sell Carolina cherry laurel (Prunus caroliniana) under the same name. It’s a genuinely different species — hardy to zone 10b, growing 15 to 35 feet tall, and identifiable by the maraschino-cherry scent its crushed leaves give off [4]. The two aren’t interchangeable: standard cherry laurel struggles with Southern heat and humidity, while Carolina cherry laurel isn’t reliably cold-hardy above zone 7a. Check the botanical name on the plant tag, not just “cherry laurel,” before you buy.
Where to Plant It — and Where Not To
Cherry laurel is unusually adaptable: it tolerates full sun to deep shade, clay to sandy soil, and pH anywhere from acidic to alkaline [1]. That flexibility is exactly why it’s such a popular privacy screen plant — there’s almost no site where it won’t grow. What it won’t tolerate is standing water, so skip low spots that stay soggy after rain.
One caveat matters more than any soil chemistry: in western Washington, Oregon, and British Columbia, cherry laurel has escaped cultivation into forests and parks, where birds spread its seeds and dense stands shade out native understory plants [6][7][8]. It’s on Washington’s noxious-weed Monitor List, and King County actively discourages new plantings even though nurseries in the region still sell it without restriction [6][7]. If you garden west of the Cascades, ask about native alternatives before you plant. Everywhere else within its hardiness range, cherry laurel hasn’t shown the same invasive behavior and is a reasonable choice.
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Soil Preparation and Planting Depth
Dig the hole two to three times wider than the root ball but no deeper than it. One of the most common transplanting mistakes with any shrub, cherry laurel included, is planting too deep: bury the root flare (the point where roots start to spread from the trunk) and the buried bark stays wet and oxygen-starved, which invites the same rot that shows up as yellowing leaves and dieback in compacted clay [5]. Set the top of the root ball level with, or just slightly above, the surrounding soil grade. If your soil is heavy clay, work two to three inches of compost into the whole planting area rather than amending only the hole itself — an isolated pocket of loose soil surrounded by clay just becomes a bathtub that collects water around the roots.
When and How to Plant, Step by Step
Fall and early spring are both workable, but fall planting — from late summer through the start of dormancy — gives roots several cool, moist months to establish before next summer’s heat arrives. Container-grown cherry laurel can technically go into the ground any time the soil isn’t frozen, but bare-root and balled-and-burlapped plants should go in during the dormant season.
- Water the plant thoroughly in its container a few hours before planting.
- Dig the hole to the depth described above, and rough up the sides so roots can push into the surrounding soil rather than circling the smooth wall of the hole.
- Loosen any circling roots at the edge of the root ball before setting the plant in place.
- Backfill with the native soil (amended with compost if it’s heavy clay), firming gently as you go to remove air pockets.
- Water in slowly and deeply right after planting — this settles soil around the roots better than tamping by hand.
- Add 2 to 3 inches of mulch, keeping it pulled back from the stem itself.
Spacing for a Dense Privacy Hedge
Spacing depends entirely on how fast you want coverage and which cultivar you’re planting — cherry laurel isn’t a single fixed-size shrub. For a single-row hedge, 2 to 3 feet between plants is standard: closer for a faster screen, wider if you’re patient and want to save on plant costs. Double rows, staggered rather than aligned, need roughly 18 to 24 inches between the rows.
| Type | Mature Size | USDA Zone | Growth Rate | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard cherry laurel (P. laurocerasus) | 10–20 ft x 8–10 ft | 6a–8b | Rapid | Tall privacy screens, large properties |
| ‘Otto Luyken’ | 6–10 ft x 6–8 ft | 6a–8b | Rapid | Low hedges, foundation planting, small yards |
| ‘Schipkaensis’ (Schip laurel) | 10–15.5 ft x 5–7 ft | 5b–9b | Medium | Colder zones, narrow side yards |
| Carolina cherry laurel (P. caroliniana) | 15–35 ft x 15–20 ft | 7a–10b | Rapid | Hot, humid Southern climates |
Schip laurel is worth calling out for colder gardens: it’s hardy a full zone further north than standard cherry laurel, and its narrower mature width suits a tight side yard [3]. If your site sits at the edge of cherry laurel’s hardiness range or gets exposed winter wind, Leyland cypress is worth comparing as an alternative — it grows even faster but needs more room to spread.
Watering and Establishment Care
The first two years after planting are when cherry laurel is most vulnerable, because its root system hasn’t yet spread far enough to buffer against dry spells. Water deeply whenever the top 2 inches of soil are dry, aiming for roughly an inch of water a week if rainfall doesn’t provide it [1]. Once established, cherry laurel tolerates drought and poor soil reasonably well — an established plant can go longer between waterings, but a shrub still settling in can’t. Skip heavy fertilization; cherry laurel is intolerant of it, and rapid, forced growth is softer and more prone to winter injury [1].
Pruning to Keep It Dense
Cherry laurel tolerates heavy pruning better than most broadleaf evergreens, which is exactly why it works as a formal hedge [1]. Shear or hand-prune in late spring, after the flower flush finishes, and again in mid-to-late summer if growth is vigorous. Cutting back the growing tips pushes the plant to fill in from lower buds rather than putting all its energy into height — the mechanism behind every dense hedge, not just this one. A quality hedge trimmer makes this manageable on anything beyond a few plants. In regions where cherry laurel’s spread is a concern, trimming before flowers set fruit in late summer also cuts off the seed source birds carry into nearby woodland [8].
Common Problems After Planting
Most post-planting problems trace back to site conditions rather than pests — cherry laurel is tough once it’s happy, but it tells you clearly when it isn’t.
| Symptom | Likely Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Yellowing leaves, branch tip dieback | Poor drainage / compacted clay | Work in compost; redirect downspouts away from the root zone [5] |
| Leaves scorched or bleached after a cold snap | Winter wind desiccation | Site out of prevailing winter wind; wrap young plants in burlap before hard freezes [5] |
| Ragged holes where tan leaf spots used to be | Shot hole disease (bacterial or fungal) | Cosmetic only — rake up fallen leaves, prune the worst-affected wood; fungicide won’t touch the bacterial form [5] |
| Gummy ooze and sawdust-like debris at the base | Peachtree borer | Prune out infested wood; keep mulch shallow and off the stem so it doesn’t attract egg-laying moths [5] |
| Sticky leaves, yellowing, small white bumps on stems | Scale insects | Scrub off with a soft brush or treat with dormant oil; prune the worst stems [5] |
| Bark chewed away at the soil line over winter | Voles sheltering in mulch | Pull mulch back 2–3 inches from the stem; use a hardware-cloth guard on young plants [5] |
Is Cherry Laurel Toxic? What to Know Before You Plant
Yes — every part of cherry laurel contains cyanogenic glycosides, mainly prunasin, at concentrations of roughly 1 to 2.5% in the leaves [9]. The compound itself isn’t dangerous until plant tissue is damaged: chewing, wilting, freezing, or crushing ruptures the cells and triggers an enzyme reaction that releases hydrogen cyanide [9]. That’s why wilted or fallen leaves are a bigger risk to livestock and pets than leaves still growing on the plant. A peer-reviewed toxicology review documented 147 human poisoning cases in Italy between 1995 and 2007, several tied to a genuinely dangerous mix-up: cherry laurel closely resembles edible bay laurel (Laurus nobilis), and people have mistaken one for the other in the kitchen [9]. The two are easy to tell apart once you know where to look — bay laurel has red leaf stalks and wavy leaf edges, while cherry laurel’s stalks are green, its leaf edges are finely serrated, and small nectar glands are visible on the underside of the leaf [9]. If you have children, dogs, or grazing animals with regular access to the garden, it’s worth browsing pet-safe hedge alternatives before committing to a cherry laurel hedge along a well-used path.
Cherry Laurel Planting: Frequently Asked Questions
How fast does cherry laurel grow?
Most cherry laurels gain 1 to 2 feet a year once established [1]. A hedge planted at standard spacing typically closes into a solid screen within 2 to 3 years.
Is cherry laurel invasive?
It depends on where you garden. In western Washington, Oregon, and coastal British Columbia, it has naturalized into forests and is discouraged by regional weed authorities [6][7][8]. Elsewhere within its hardiness range, it isn’t currently considered invasive.
Can you eat cherry laurel?
No. Every part of the plant contains cyanogenic compounds that release cyanide when damaged, and it’s frequently mistaken for edible bay laurel — don’t substitute the two in cooking [9].
What’s the best cherry laurel for a small yard?
‘Otto Luyken’ stays compact at 6 to 10 feet tall while spreading wide, which suits foundation plantings and smaller lots better than the 10-to-20-foot standard form [2].
Does cherry laurel need full sun?
No — it’s one of the few hedge shrubs that performs from full sun through deep shade, which is part of why it’s so widely planted [1].
Sources
- NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox — Prunus laurocerasus
- NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox — Prunus laurocerasus ‘Otto Luyken’
- NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox — Prunus laurocerasus ‘Schipkaensis’
- NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox — Prunus caroliniana
- University of Maryland Extension — Cherry Laurel: Identify and Manage Problems
- Washington State Noxious Weed Control Board — Cherry Laurel
- King County, Washington — Cherry Laurel Identification and Control
- Oregon State University Extension — Solve Pest Problems: Cherry Laurel
- Toxins (MDPI) / PMC — Risk of Poisoning from Garden Plants: Misidentification between Laurel and Cherry Laurel
