Description
Laurel hedges (Prunus Laurocerasus) – also commonly known as common laurel and cherry laurel – is a strong evergreen hedging plant known for its stunning bright green foliage. Producing delicate white flowers in spring that turn into festive red berries throughout winter, Laurel plants provide year-round interest to your garden.
A popular hedging plant due to its density, the Laurel hedge makes for the perfect privacy screen. It’s also commonly used to reduce noise and wind and offers a great solution for a border hedge.
How large will my Laurel hedging plants grow?
Laurel hedges have a fast growth rate of around 30-60cm per year, making it a cost-effective way to achieve height. In fact, when grown in the right conditions, laurel hedges can grow up to 2ft a year!
How to grow Cherry Laurel
Laurel hedging plants are extremely resilient and thrive in a variety of conditions, including full shade and most soils although it is not typically recommended for coastal areas or alkaline soil.
How to plant Laurel hedge
If you’re transferring your Laurel hedge from a pot or container into a flower bed, it can be planted at any time of year. However, for the best results, you should aim to plant the hedge around mid-autumn as it will allow the hedge to develop its roots before summer when the weather is typically drier.
To grow Laurel as a hedge, space plants out accordingly depending on plant size and how quickly you want to grow a dense, bushy hedge. For fast results, plant 2ft apart in a single row.
Plant the bare roots into the cultivated and weed-free ground at the same depth the plant was growing at previously (bare root plants will have a line on them to show you the depth they were planted at previously), firm the soil well and water to settle the soil around the roots.
When you first plant your laurel hedge, it will require watering regularly (unless it rains a lot), especially during the peak growing season between March and October.
