Cherry laurel is a great plant to grow – it is easygoing and robust, and takes very little effort to create a beautiful screening plant.
If you’re wondering how to grow cherry laurel then you’ve come to the right place – we have all the best hints and tips to grow your own fabulous cherry laurel hedge!
How To Grow Cherry Laurel
Although this plant is typically very easy to grow and fairly hardy, like all plants is has some conditions that it prefers above others, that will help it to thrive.
- Use well draining soil as an absolute must. No plant likes to sit in soggy soil, and cherry laurel is quite particular about this.
- Most soil types are acceptable, from hard clay to soft loam, as long as the water is allowed to drain away freely.
- Give it a full sun position if you want to get lots of flowers and fruits, though it will also tolerate partial shade.
- You will need to prune it annually to keep it in good shape and to stop it taking over your garden – these shrubs can get pretty big!
- It will only need watering, once established, in prolonged hot periods in the summer, as it is quite happy in dry soil.
- Mulch it once a year with leaf mould or bark chips, to allow nutrients to be released into the soil.
- Keep an eye out for leaf spot and powdery mildew – cherry laurel is pretty resistant to most pests, but these fungal diseases can cause problems.
- Cherry laurel is easy to propagate, using either the seeds, suckers or from cuttings, so you can easily increase the size of your cherry laurel plantation.
This plant is pretty easygoing, and can produce startling results quickly, so just keep an eye on the size, so that it doesn’t take over your whole garden!
Here’s a good article, telling you all about how to care for cherry laurel.
How Quickly Do Cherry Laurels Grow?
If you are looking for a good screening plant that grows quickly, cherry laurel is one of the best you can get.
With the right conditions, this plant can grow between 30 and 60cm per year, making it ideal for those who need a hedge quickly.
Cherry laurel can end up to be pretty huge – left to its own devices with the right conditions, it can reach 20-30ft by the time it’s fully grown!
It is much easier to maintain it when it is smaller, however, so we do recommend giving it a good haircut to ensure that it doesn’t completely take over.
Pruning will also encourage good overall health of your plant, and can also encourage it to grow even more quickly – surprising as that may sound!
How Do You Encourage Cherry Laurel To Grow?
This plant does love to grow, and it will do its best to produce lots of beautiful foliage – however, there are things you can do to encourage it more.
The right conditions is the most important thing. Well draining soil, sunshine, and enough space to spread will help your cherry laurel reach its potential.
A good pruning is another huge factor. Pruning will encourage your cherry laurel to grow back stronger, and in the shape that you want too.
Fertiliser can be another factor – giving your cherry laurel a good dose of extra nutrients once a year will go a long way to making it grow happy and healthy.
Watering is key to a happy cherry laurel – it will need a good drink once a week in hot seasons; you can drop it right back in the winter.
Whether in pots or in the ground, your cherry laurel can bring you a lot of joy, as long as you care for it properly.
Can You Keep Cherry Laurel In Pots?
Some plants simply cannot handle growing in pots, and must be planted out – cherry laurel is not one of these!
You can very happily grow your cherry laurel in a pot, if you want to move them around or if you do not have space to plant them out.
Growing in a pot is, in some ways, an easier option than planting your cherry laurel into the ground:
- You can move it around. If you don’t like where it is, simply pick up the pot and shift it to a different spot!
- You can get the soil right. Rather than digging up your entire garden and replacing it with different soil, simply use the correct soil in the pots for your laurel.
- They don’t like to be soggy, and growing in a pot will restrict the amount of water in the soil they have access to.
- If they are getting blown about by the wind, you can simply move them to a more sheltered area.
What Is The Best Fertiliser For Cherry Laurel?
All plants like a little boost of nutrients now and then, and cherry laurel is no different.
The best thing you can give yours is a slow-release shrub and tree food – this is specially designed for the needs of this type of plant.
You only need to do this once or twice a year – in the spring, before the main growing season, and in the autumn, before it goes to sleep for the winter.
If you are growing your cherry laurel in pots, the easiest thing to do is to give a slow-release all purpose liquid fertiliser.
You can also use organic mulch – simply place leaf mould or bark chips around the base of the plants in the autumn, for a nice natural slow release feed.
This video (sorry about the robotic voice!) gives you some useful information on fertilising laurels:
Final Words
Once you have figured out how to grow cherry laurel, you will never look back. It is truly a great plant – attractive as well as functional.
Just remember to keep children and pets away from this plant, and don’t decide to eat it yourself, and you can have a long and fruitful relationship with this plant.
