Carolina Cherry Laurel Growing Tips & Guides

Carolina Cherry Laurel Tree – Springtime blooming cherry laurel plants are among the most beautiful things to see outside your window. They are beautiful complements to almost any landscape and fill the air with enticing scents when in bloom. Learn more about what the cherry laurel plant is and how to care for it in your landscape by watching this video.

Cherry laurel, commonly known as “prunus” or “common laurel,” is a flowering plant with approximately 200 subspecies. As a result of its dark green and opaque leaves as well as its unique white blossoms, it is very durable and adapts well to hedges of any form.

It is one of those shrubs that grows very quickly and may grow to be more than 16 feet (5 meters) tall when fully grown. If you are concerned that it may grow to be too big, look for dwarf cultivars, which are available in vast numbers.

In order to cultivate cherry laurel in containers, you must choose one of the smaller types, such as’ Otto Luycken ‘,’ “Mount Vernon,” or “Piri,” among others. Cherry laurel is often referred to as common laurel, which is understandable given that it may be found nearly everywhere.

Carolina Cherry Laurel Toxicity

Poison control centers are aware that cherry laurel contains poisonous chemicals, which are particularly dangerous for animals that may eat the leaves, berries, or branches of the plant.

Indeed, cherry laurel produces cyanide, which may cause herbivores to get ill and die as a result of food poisoning. The consumption of cherry laurel by animals such as sheep, cows, goats, and horses must be strictly banned.

Any time an animal has eaten large quantities of anything, contact your veterinarian promptly, even if no clinical signs are evident.

Cherry laurel shrubs (Prunus laurocerasus) are a wonderful addition to any landscape, whether as a specimen tree or as a living hedge. They are available in a variety of sizes and colors.

With a range of heights from 15 to 40 feet (4.5-12 meters), this beautiful, upright, evergreen shrub or small tree may reach heights of up to 10 to 35 feet (3-10 meters) in the eastern Mediterranean region, which includes the Balkans, Asia Minor, and regions bordering the Black Sea.

Plant hardiness maps from the USDA show that cherry laurel bushes are hardy as far south as zone 5. Cherry laurel shrubs bloom in the spring with lovely and fragrant white blossoms. Many different kinds of cherry laurel plants are available for purchase, ranging from compact shrubs to small trees.

Best Time to Plant Cherry Laurels

Generally speaking, autumn is the ideal season to grow cherry laurel. Choose high-quality nursery stock with roots that have been covered in burlap, or you may grow them from seedlings in a container. Grow your plants in a bright or partially sunny location with rich, well-drained soil and a pH range of 6.5 to 7.5.

Take care not to harm the roots of the shrub while removing it from the container or burlap sack it came in. Backfill the shrub-planting hole with just native soil, and do not add any fertilizer to the soil mix. Thoroughly water your cherry laurel plant to aid in the establishment of its roots.

Where to Plant Carolina Cherry Tree

It is a cold-hardy evergreen that can thrive in a variety of temperatures, including hot and humid regions. It may be found in USDA plant hardiness zones 7 through 10 in the United States. A hot climate and a site with full sun exposure are ideal for this ornamental tree (at least six hours of direct sunlight per day).

A site with moderate shade exposure is also suitable for growing this plant. The topiary form of this tree is excellent for formal gardens, since it can be shaped into conical shapes, columnar shapes, and the typical rectangular form. The fact that it has an almost perfect form makes it a fantastic privacy hedge or windbreak, as well.

It can withstand urban growth conditions as well as drought. This plant has shallow, nonviolent roots that do not threaten other plants in the area. Sandy loam to clay loam are all acceptable soil types. Maintain a well-drained soil environment while growing.

Planting Carolina Cherry Laurels

Trees may be planted from October to March, with the best time being in the autumn to allow for root growth before the first frost. Remember to water your new plants more often at the beginning of the season if you’re planting them in the spring. Here some notes:

• It likes full sun, but will grow in partial shade as long as it gets enough water.
• It is approximately 20 inches (80 centimeters) deep and 16 inches (60 centimeters) broad.
• Planting soil mix may be mixed into the earth in your garden.
• Orient the cherry laurel such that the base of its trunk is only a little bit higher than the surrounding ground surface.
• The mixture of soil should be used for the back-filling.
• Lightly push down on the water to make it drip.
• Give some more water.

Cherry Laurel Treatment and Pruning Steps

A mature cherry laurel requires relatively little maintenance once planted. Provide a balanced fertilizer in early spring in addition to periodic watering.

If utilized as a hedge, this low-maintenance beauty may be trimmed to a more manageable size, or allowed to develop its beautiful natural form on its own own. With clean, sharp pruning shears, remove any dead branches from the tree. Compost or mulch should be used around the plant to help it retain moisture and protect it from the elements.

Despite the fact that cherry laurels are generally healthy plants, they may get infected with fungus. Keep an eye out for indications of pest infestations as well, such as whitefly or borer infestations, and treat them as soon as possible using a pesticide such as neem oil or a natural insecticide.

Susceptible Diseases and Pests

Cherry laurel, despite the fact that it is regarded to be one of the most durable and disease-resistant shrubs, may be vulnerable to parasites and other pests on occasion.

Aphids and scale insects have attempted to establish themselves on occasion, but this has proven to be very uncommon, and the harm has been kept to a bare minimum in most cases. Shoot-hole powdery mildew and verticillium wilt are more common in cherry laurel, making it more susceptible to these diseases (Verticillium albo-atrum). It is possible to use the Bordeaux combination as a preventative therapy for powdery mildew.

• Cherry laurel leaves get dark, dry, and fall off as a result of verticillium wilt.
• You must remove and kill any diseased cherry laurel branches that you come across.
• To prevent the illness from spreading to the other cherry laurel bushes in a hedge, remove one of the plants from the hedge.
• Following that, apply a fungicide.