Does Portuguese laurel make a good hedge?
A very hardy evergreen with lush, dark foliage and green stems when young, typically maturing to eye-catching maroon coloured stems, portuguese laurel hedge plants or prunus lusitanica, make a wonderful dense hedge, offering year-round screening, wind protection and noise reduction. Best dense evergreen hedges the king of dense hedging is surely the leylandii hedging plant. The green leyland has beautiful deep green foliage all year round, and is the perfect screen for the edge of the garden. Plant them a couple of meters apart, and you’ll have the perfect border. They thrive in partial shade.Laurel in particular is probably the best hedge to grow in shade. They tolerate shade well and are often planted under tree canopies in large estate gardens. All types of laurel will also grow well in full sun. If you want to create some privacy for your garden, laurel is a much more attractive option than a fence.Plant a deciduous hedge in mid-autumn to late winter. Plant an evergreen hedge in autumn. Delay planting if the ground is frozen or waterlogged. Avoid planting under existing trees – shade and lack of water will restrict growth.
What are the disadvantages of cherry laurel?
Cherry laurel (Prunus laurocerasus) is generally considered a tough evergreen but its leaves can be affected by diseases such as powdery mildew, leaf spot fungi and bacterial shothole. Affected plants or hedges look unsightly. Laurel plants make excellent hedge options since they are hardy, fast-growing, and evergreen. However, laurel hedge problems can arise if pests or diseases take hold of the plants. Common laurel hedge pests include vine weevil, aphids, thrips, lacebugs, scale insects, and caterpillars.Skip Laurel is valued for its rapid growth rate—often 1–2 feet per year once established—making it one of the best evergreen shrubs for creating a quick, dense privacy hedge. Its upright, glossy foliage forms a lush wall of green that stays vibrant all year, even in areas with cold winters or partial shade.If you have a good amount of space, there’s plenty you can plant in front of your cherry laurel hedge. A border planted with a mix of shrubby, evergreen and herbaceous perennials will create a long season of interest, while silver-leaved and white-flowered plants will contrast well with the fresh green of the laurel.Regular pruning is essential for thickening a laurel hedge. Prune the hedge annually or as needed to remove any leggy or sparse growth. Concentrate on selectively pruning the tips of branches to encourage lateral branching and stimulate new growth.
Which laurel is best for hedging?
Based on its dense and glossy leaves, Cherry Laurel is highly recommended for hedging as it effectively acts as a privacy screen and reduces wind and noise passing through. Cherry laurel (Prunus laurocerasus) is generally considered a tough evergreen but its leaves can be affected by diseases such as powdery mildew, leaf spot fungi and bacterial shothole. Affected plants or hedges look unsightly.Low maintenance and easy to grow Cherry Laurel is incredibly hardy and adaptable. It thrives in a variety of soil types, tolerates drought once established, and can handle both full sun and partial shade. It also requires minimal trimming—just one or two prunings per year—to keep it looking neat and tidy.The other main problem that can afflict Laurel hedging plants is frost damage, which can take effect in autumn, winter or spring. Damage in the autumn is often caused by sharp early frosts and is limited to soft late growth, which turns black and shrivelled.Leaf Spot Fungus and Bacterial Shot hole disease are common laurel hedge problems that can cause discoloration and damage to affected leaves. The best method to deal with affected plants is to implement preventive measures before the bacteria has an opportunity to spread.The leaves of the cherry laurel do not fall off in winter, as is the case with deciduous trees, but nevertheless, brown and withered leaves tend to appear on the shrub. Most often, these are diseased parts of the plant or those damaged by frost or pruning.
When should you not cut a laurel hedge?
Laurel hedging can be cut back quite far, as long as you avoid doing so in the winter months when frost can damage the plant if there are newly cut edges. To prune laurel to encourage growth, we’d recommend trimming the branches and cutting them back several times a year (depending on how fast it grows) by up to a quarter. This makes the bush come back bushier and thicker than before more rapidly.Laurel hedging can be cut back quite far, as long as you avoid doing so in the winter months when frost can damage the plant if there are newly cut edges.Laurel is best pruned once a year to keep it to the height you want. To see how and when to trim your hedge, see our section on How to Prune a Laurel Hedge.LAUREL HEDGING PLANTED FROM NOVEMBER TO FEBRUARY Just keep an eye on them, it may be worth giving them a good soak once a week.
What month is best to plant laurels?
As stated above, bare-root laurel needs to be planted from November to March, before the spring and summer. However, container grown laurel hedging can be planted year round. Autumn Planting (Late September to November) Early Growth: Come spring, laurels planted in the fall will have already developed strong roots and can put their energy into above-ground growth.Once your Laurel hedge is established we would recommend an annual feed early in the spring with a balanced fertiliser such as ‘Growmore’, this is very beneficial to a Laurel hedge if applied at the same time as a mulch (a layer moisture retaining material like bark chippings, lawn mowings or garden compost).