The Ultimate Guide to Growing Cherry Laurels
By Richard "Woodie" Buller, GGD co-founder with 35+ years in horticulture
Published On: Nov 3, 2026
Share:
If you need an evergreen shrub that can create privacy, tolerate some shade, stay green through winter, and still look refined enough for a front-yard foundation planting, Cherry Laurels deserve a place near the top of the list.
Cherry Laurels, also commonly called English Laurels, are broadleaf evergreen shrubs in the Prunus laurocerasus family. Instead of the needle-like foliage of Arborvitae or Juniper, Cherry Laurels have broad, glossy green leaves that create a softer, fuller-looking evergreen screen. In spring, many varieties add fragrant white flower clusters, giving you a shrub that's ornamental as well as functional.
That combination is what makes them so useful. A Cherry Laurel can become a tall evergreen privacy hedge, a medium-height screen, a lower foundation shrub, or part of a layered evergreen border, depending on the variety you choose.
And that's the first thing I want gardeners to understand about Cherry Laurels: they're not all the same size.
Garden Goods Direct currently offers Skip Laurel, Otto Luyken Cherry Laurel, and Dwarf English Laurel, giving gardeners three distinctly different ways to use this versatile evergreen shrub.
As I like to say, "Choose the Laurel for the space you have, not the space you hope to prune it into."
| In this Article | |||
|---|---|---|---|
What Is a Cherry Laurel?
Cherry Laurel is a broadleaf evergreen shrub, botanically known as Prunus laurocerasus. Despite the common name, it isn't a true Laurel. It's actually part of the rose family and is related botanically to cherries, peaches, and plums.
The resemblance to Laurel comes from the large, glossy evergreen leaves.
Depending on the cultivar, Cherry Laurels can remain relatively compact or grow into substantial shrubs that create dense privacy screens. Most have dark green foliage year-round and produce upright clusters of fragrant white flowers in spring. Pollinated flowers can later develop small, dark fruits that may attract birds.
For homeowners, however, the biggest attraction is usually the foliage.
Cherry Laurels create a dense wall of green that looks less formal and less needle-like than many coniferous privacy plants. They also tolerate more shade than many popular evergreen screening shrubs, which makes them especially useful on properties where Arborvitae or Juniper may not receive enough sunlight.
Why Grow Cherry Laurel Shrubs?
I think Cherry Laurels are at their best when a landscape needs year-round structure.
A row of deciduous shrubs may provide beautiful flowers in spring or summer, but when the leaves fall, so does much of the privacy. Cherry Laurels keep their foliage through winter, which makes them useful along property lines, patios, fences, driveways, and outdoor living spaces.
They can also create a tremendous backdrop for flowering plants. Hydrangeas, Roses, Spirea, ornamental grasses, and flowering perennials all stand out against the dark-green foliage.
Cherry Laurels are also adaptable when it comes to light. They grow in full sun to partial shade and can tolerate more shade than many evergreen shrubs. Once established, they're relatively easy to maintain as long as they have reasonable drainage and aren't planted in constantly wet soil.
Those qualities make them excellent evergreen hedge plants, privacy shrubs, foundation shrubs, shade-tolerant evergreens, and year-round screening plants.
Choosing the Right Cherry Laurel
The biggest mistake gardeners make with Cherry Laurels usually happens before the shovel ever touches the soil.
They choose based on how large the plant looks in the container rather than how large the cultivar will become.
A one-gallon Skip Laurel and a one-gallon Otto Luyken may look similar enough when they're young, but they're designed for very different jobs.
Here's the simplest way to think about the three Cherry Laurels currently offered by Garden Goods Direct:
| Cherry Laurel | General Mature Size | Best Landscape Use |
|---|---|---|
| Skip Laurel | About 10 to 15 ft. tall and 5 to 7 ft. wide | Tall privacy hedges, property-line screens, evergreen backdrops |
| Dwarf English Laurel | About 6 to 8 ft. tall and wide | Medium-height screens, hedges, foundations, patios |
| Otto Luyken Cherry Laurel | About 3 to 4 ft. tall and broadly spreading | Low hedges, foundation beds, mass plantings, layered borders |
Rather than asking, "Which Cherry Laurel is best?" ask what you need the plant to accomplish.
That's how you choose the right one.
Skip Laurel: The Cherry Laurel for Privacy
Skip Laurel, also known as Schip Laurel, Schipka Laurel, or Prunus laurocerasus 'Schipkaensis', is the Cherry Laurel I look toward when privacy is the main objective.
Its naturally upright growth habit allows it to create substantial height without becoming as broad as some full-sized English Laurels. That makes it extremely useful along property lines, fences, patios, pools, and neighboring yards where you want a dense living screen but don't have unlimited planting width.
Mature Skip Laurels can reach roughly 10 to 15 feet tall and 5 to 7 feet wide, depending on growing conditions and pruning. The glossy dark-green foliage remains throughout winter, while fragrant white flower clusters add spring interest.
Skip Laurel also has an advantage in locations that receive some shade. While many traditional screening evergreens perform best with abundant sun, Skip Laurel can grow well in partial shade.
If your goal is an evergreen privacy hedge that provides height, density, and a softer broadleaf appearance, Skip Laurel is usually the first Cherry Laurel I'd consider.
Otto Luyken Cherry Laurel: Compact Evergreen Structure
Otto Luyken Cherry Laurel solves a completely different landscape problem.
Instead of developing into a tall privacy wall, Otto Luyken remains relatively low and spreads horizontally. That makes it much easier to incorporate into front foundation plantings, mixed shrub borders, lower hedges, and smaller residential landscapes.
The glossy foliage has the same rich evergreen quality that makes larger Cherry Laurels attractive, and upright white flowers provide spring interest.
I particularly like Otto Luyken in layered landscapes. You can use taller shrubs toward the back of the planting, place Otto Luyken through the middle, and bring perennials or groundcovers toward the front.
The result is much more interesting than using every evergreen at the same height.
If you like the look of Cherry Laurel but don't need a ten-foot privacy screen, Otto Luyken is often the better choice.
Dwarf English Laurel: The Middle Ground
The name Dwarf English Laurel can be slightly misleading because this isn't a tiny shrub.
Prunus laurocerasus 'Nana' generally matures around 6 to 8 feet tall and can reach a similar width. It's called dwarf because it remains smaller than a standard English Laurel, not because it belongs at the very front of a perennial border.
That's exactly what makes it useful.
Dwarf English Laurel fits between the lower Otto Luyken and taller Skip Laurel. It can become a medium-height privacy screen, a substantial foundation shrub, a patio screen, a property-line planting, or a formal evergreen hedge without reaching the same height as Skip Laurel.
Its broad, glossy evergreen foliage creates year-round structure, and white spring flowers add seasonal interest.
When homeowners tell me they need screening but don't necessarily need a fifteen-foot wall, this is the size category I start thinking about.
Cherry Laurels Are Excellent Privacy Hedge Shrubs
A good privacy hedge needs to do more than grow tall.
It needs density.
That's one of Cherry Laurel's greatest strengths. Broad evergreen leaves overlap as the plants mature, creating substantial visual coverage instead of the lighter, more open texture you sometimes see with other shrubs.
For a formal appearance, Cherry Laurels can be maintained as a clipped hedge. For a softer landscape, they can be selectively pruned and allowed to develop a more natural outline.
I generally prefer the second approach whenever the space allows it.
A natural Cherry Laurel hedge has depth and movement. A severely sheared hedge can become a flat green wall.
Both can create privacy, but the natural form often looks better in a residential landscape.
How Far Apart Should You Plant Cherry Laurels for Privacy?
Spacing depends on the cultivar, the size you're starting with, and how quickly you want the hedge to fill.
With Skip Laurel, spacing of 4 to 6 feet on-center is often appropriate for a hedge, with closer spacing filling in more quickly and wider spacing allowing plants to develop more independently.
The important thing is not to crowd plants simply because you want instant privacy.
A hedge planted too tightly can become difficult to maintain as the shrubs mature. Dense crowding also reduces airflow through the plants and can increase stress.
With Otto Luyken and other lower Cherry Laurels, spacing should reflect their broad mature spread rather than their height. Dwarf English Laurel also deserves substantial width.
I always tell gardeners to picture the mature shrub, not the one-gallon container.
A little patience during the first few years usually produces a healthier hedge for the next twenty.
Do Cherry Laurels Grow in Sun or Shade?
One of the reasons Cherry Laurels are so useful is their ability to grow across a relatively broad range of light conditions.
They perform well in full sun to partial shade, and established Cherry Laurels can tolerate more shade than many evergreen screening shrubs.
In full sun, plants generally grow densely and flower well when moisture is adequate. In warmer climates or hot reflected locations, some afternoon shade can actually reduce foliage stress.
Cherry Laurels can also grow in fairly shady areas, although deep shade may result in looser growth and fewer flowers.
This makes them particularly valuable for woodland edges, side yards, north- or east-facing planting areas, and privacy lines where taller trees cast part of the property in shade.
Avoid Hot Reflected Planting Sites
Cherry Laurels tolerate sun, but there's a difference between ordinary sunshine and planting beside a south-facing brick wall or heat-reflecting driveway.
Hard surfaces can dramatically raise leaf temperatures during summer. Combine that heat with dry soil and a newly planted root system, and Cherry Laurel foliage may develop scorch or show signs of stress.
Give the plant enough room away from buildings, fences, and pavement whenever possible, and pay closer attention to root-zone moisture during the first summer.
Sometimes the problem isn't that a plant can't tolerate the stated amount of sunlight.
It's the additional heat coming from everything around it.
What Soil Is Best for Cherry Laurels?
Cherry Laurels are fairly adaptable, but they grow best in moist, fertile, well-drained soil.
The phrase I want you to remember is well-drained.
A Cherry Laurel can tolerate a range of soil textures and pH conditions, but it doesn't appreciate sitting in water for extended periods. Constantly saturated soil reduces the oxygen available to the roots and can lead to declining foliage and root problems.
This is particularly important in heavy clay landscapes.
Clay itself isn't automatically a problem. Plenty of Cherry Laurels grow successfully in clay soil. The problem occurs when the planting hole behaves like a bathtub and stays filled with water after rain.
Before planting a hedge, look at the site after a storm.
If water regularly stands there, fix the drainage issue before planting.
How to Plant Cherry Laurel Shrubs
Planting depth matters.
Dig the hole wider than the root ball but no deeper than necessary. The top of the root ball should sit level with or slightly above the surrounding grade rather than being buried several inches below it.
If the plant is severely root-bound inside its nursery container, loosen circling roots enough to encourage them to begin moving outward into the surrounding soil.
Backfill primarily with the existing soil, water thoroughly, and apply approximately 2 to 3 inches of mulch over the root zone.
Keep mulch away from the stems.
That little space around the base of the plant improves airflow and helps prevent the trunk and lower stems from remaining constantly damp.
Watering Newly Planted Cherry Laurels
Newly planted Cherry Laurels need consistent moisture while their roots establish.
That doesn't mean keeping the soil wet every day.
During the first growing season, check the original root ball regularly. If it begins drying several inches below the surface, water slowly and deeply enough to moisten the entire root zone.
This is especially important when planting a long Cherry Laurel hedge because it's easy to water the first few shrubs thoroughly and give the remaining plants only a quick surface sprinkle.
A soaker hose or drip-style system can be very useful along long hedges because it slowly delivers moisture to the root zone.
As the shrubs establish and the root systems spread into the surrounding soil, they become better able to tolerate short periods of dryness.
As I like to remind gardeners, "Drought tolerance comes after root establishment, not before it."
Don't Overwater Cherry Laurels
A yellow Cherry Laurel doesn't automatically need more water.
In fact, one of the first things I check when Cherry Laurel foliage begins yellowing is whether the soil is staying too wet.
Overwatering and poor drainage can limit oxygen around the roots. The plant may yellow, wilt, lose leaves, or simply fail to grow well.
Those symptoms are often misread as drought stress, so more water gets added and the problem becomes worse.
Use your hands before you use the hose.
Check the root ball.
If it's dry, water.
If it's already very wet, adding another 10 gallons won't help.
Mulching Cherry Laurel Shrubs
A 2- to 3-inch layer of mulch around Cherry Laurels helps conserve moisture, reduce weeds, and moderate soil temperatures.
That's particularly valuable along a privacy hedge where the plants are competing with surrounding turf for water.
Spread mulch broadly rather than piling it deeply around the base.
Avoid mulch volcanoes around Cherry Laurels just as you would around trees.
The roots benefit from mulch.
The stems don't need to be buried in it.
Do Cherry Laurels Need Fertilizer?
Cherry Laurels generally don't require aggressive fertilization.
If the soil is reasonably fertile and the plant is producing healthy growth, I don't believe in forcing additional growth simply because the fertilizer bag says it's spring.
A balanced slow-release fertilizer can be used in early spring when soil fertility is low or growth is weak, but avoid excessive nitrogen. Too much fertilizer can create rapid, soft growth that requires additional pruning and may be more vulnerable to stress.
Good soil, proper watering, adequate light, and drainage matter more than heavy feeding.
As I've said before, "Fertilizer is food. It isn't first aid."
If your Cherry Laurel is struggling, figure out why before feeding it.
When Should You Prune Cherry Laurels?
Cherry Laurels tolerate pruning extremely well, which is one reason they've become such popular hedge plants.
If you want to enjoy the spring flowers, do most of the shaping after flowering, in late spring or early summer.
Light maintenance pruning can be used to remove long shoots, maintain hedge dimensions, or improve the plant's overall form.
I prefer selective hand pruning whenever possible. Cherry Laurels have relatively large leaves, and hedge shears can cut directly through those leaves, leaving brown edges that don't always look especially attractive.
For very formal hedges, shearing is sometimes unavoidable. But for an informal or natural privacy screen, selective pruning creates a much better-looking plant.
Don't Let Pruning Replace Proper Spacing
Cherry Laurels respond well to pruning, but that doesn't mean we should intentionally put them in spaces far smaller than their mature size.
If a Skip Laurel wants to become five to seven feet wide, planting it in a two-foot-wide bed means you're signing yourself up for constant pruning.
That's not low maintenance.
It's the wrong plant in the wrong space.
If the planting area is smaller, choose Otto Luyken rather than trying to turn Skip Laurel into Otto Luyken with hedge shears.
The right cultivar will always be easier to maintain than the wrong cultivar that is constantly being controlled.
Cherry Laurel Flowers Are an Added Bonus
Most people buy Cherry Laurels for foliage and privacy, but the spring flowers deserve some credit.
Upright clusters of small white flowers appear against the glossy green foliage and can have a noticeable fragrance. Pollinators may visit the flowers, and fertilized blooms can later develop small fruits that darken as they mature.
I consider the flowers a bonus rather than the main reason to grow the plant.
A Cherry Laurel hedge is useful twelve months of the year.
The flowers simply remind you that an evergreen hedge doesn't have to be boring.
Are Cherry Laurels Deer Resistant?
Cherry Laurels are generally considered to have better-than-average deer resistance, particularly compared with many softer broadleaf landscape shrubs.
That can make them valuable in neighborhoods where deer pressure is common.
But I wouldn't describe any Cherry Laurel as completely deer-proof.
When deer populations are high or winter food becomes scarce, they may sample plants they normally leave alone. Young shrubs can also receive more attention than established ones.
If deer pressure is severe, consider temporary protection while new Cherry Laurels establish.
Do Cherry Laurels Stay Green in Winter?
Yes. Cherry Laurels are broadleaf evergreen shrubs, which means they retain their leaves through winter.
That's one of their biggest advantages as privacy plants.
A properly placed Cherry Laurel hedge continues to provide screening after deciduous trees and shrubs have lost their foliage. The glossy leaves also provide important winter structure around foundations and mixed borders.
In colder or exposed locations, you may occasionally see winter leaf damage, browning, or wear on exposed foliage, particularly after severe cold, wind, or winter sun.
That doesn't necessarily mean the shrub is dying.
Wait until spring growth begins before making aggressive pruning decisions.
Water Evergreens Before Winter
Cherry Laurels may slow their growth in winter, but they're still carrying living foliage.
That means those leaves can lose moisture during sunny, windy winter weather.
If fall has been unusually dry, make sure newly planted Cherry Laurels go into winter with adequate soil moisture.
Don't keep the soil saturated, but don't allow new plants to enter freezing weather with bone-dry root balls either.
This is especially important during the first year.
Why Are Cherry Laurel Leaves Turning Yellow?
A few yellow, older leaves don't automatically indicate a problem. Evergreens still replace foliage, and occasional loss of interior leaves can be part of the normal growth cycle.
When yellowing becomes widespread, I start with the roots.
Check moisture first. Is the root ball extremely dry? Is it constantly saturated? Is the plant installed too deeply? Does water from a downspout collect around the roots?
Then look at the timing.
A newly planted Cherry Laurel with several yellow older leaves may simply be adjusting. A mature hedge suddenly yellowing across an entire section deserves more investigation.
Don't diagnose by leaf color alone.
A yellow leaf is a clue, not a diagnosis.
What Causes Holes in Cherry Laurel Leaves?
Cherry Laurels occasionally develop small, round holes in the foliage, creating an appearance that gardeners often describe as though someone fired tiny pellets through the leaves.
This is commonly called shot-hole damage.
Several factors can contribute to shot-hole symptoms, including fungal or bacterial leaf-spot organisms and environmental stress. The damaged portion of the leaf eventually drops out, leaving the characteristic hole.
The first step isn't immediately spraying something.
Look at the growing conditions.
Plants under stress from poor drainage, excess irrigation, reflected heat, or restricted airflow often experience more problems. Avoid repeatedly wetting the foliage when irrigating, give plants adequate spacing, remove badly affected fallen foliage when practical, and keep the shrubs growing under good cultural conditions.
If symptoms become severe or persist, then a more specific diagnosis may be worthwhile.
Good Airflow Helps Prevent Cherry Laurel Problems
This is another reason proper spacing matters.
When Cherry Laurels are planted extremely close together and repeatedly sheared into dense walls, very little air moves through the interior of the hedge.
Combine that with overhead irrigation, and you create foliage that can remain wet for long periods.
Allowing reasonable spacing and directing irrigation toward the soil rather than constantly wetting the leaves can reduce stress and improve overall plant health.
A dense hedge is good.
A suffocating hedge isn't.
Are Cherry Laurels Poisonous?
This is important to note because Cherry Laurels are members of the genus Prunus.
The leaves, stems, seeds, and other plant tissues contain compounds that can release cyanide when damaged or ingested and should not be eaten by people, pets, horses, or livestock.
The small fruits that may appear after flowering are ornamental and wildlife-oriented, not edible landscape fruit for people.
If you have animals that routinely chew landscape plants, consider placement carefully.
When Is the Best Time to Plant Cherry Laurels?
Spring and fall are both excellent planting seasons.
I particularly like fall planting because cooler air reduces moisture stress while the soil can remain warm enough for continued root development. That gives the shrub time to begin establishing before summer heat arrives.
Spring planting works well, too, especially when you can stay ahead of watering during the first summer.
Cherry Laurels can also be planted in summer when necessary, but newly planted shrubs require closer monitoring of moisture during hot weather.
The best planting season is ultimately the one where you can provide consistent aftercare.
Cherry Laurels Work Beautifully in Layered Landscapes
Privacy doesn't have to mean planting one straight row of identical shrubs and stopping there.
A Cherry Laurel hedge can serve as the evergreen backdrop for a much more interesting landscape.
Imagine Skip Laurels forming the rear privacy layer, with Hydrangeas, Viburnums, or flowering shrubs planted in front. Bring ornamental grasses and perennials forward from there, and finish with low groundcovers along the edge.
Now, the Cherry Laurels still provide privacy, but they also create a dark-green backdrop that makes everything else stand out.
For smaller foundation beds, Otto Luyken Cherry Laurel can fill that middle evergreen layer without overwhelming windows.
For an intermediate screen, Dwarf English Laurel gives you more height and mass while remaining easier to manage than a full-size hedge.
That's how I like to use evergreens.
Not as the entire landscape, but as the structure that allows the rest of the landscape to change with the seasons.
Which Cherry Laurel Should You Choose?
If your primary goal is tall evergreen privacy, choose Skip Laurel.
If you want a lower broadleaf evergreen for foundations, low hedges, or mass planting, choose Otto Luyken Cherry Laurel.
If you want something between those two—a substantial shrub capable of creating a medium-height hedge or screen—look toward Dwarf English Laurel.
All three share the glossy evergreen character that makes Cherry Laurels so attractive, but their mature sizes mean they have very different roles.
Choose according to the job, and the care becomes much easier.
Shop the Cherry Laurel Collection
Woodie's Take
Cherry Laurels have become popular privacy shrubs for a pretty simple reason.
They work.
They're evergreen. They grow densely. They'll tolerate some shade. They respond well to pruning. The foliage looks polished around a house, and they give us white flowers in spring without asking us to sacrifice the year-round screening we planted them for in the first place.
But I think the secret to growing Cherry Laurels successfully is resisting the urge to overcomplicate them.
Start with the right variety. If you need a tall privacy hedge, Skip Laurel makes sense. If you want that same glossy evergreen character at a lower height, use Otto Luyken. If you need something in between, Dwarf English Laurel gives you that middle layer.
Then give the plant a good site. Don't bury the root ball too deeply. Don't plant it in a swamp. Give it consistent moisture while it establishes, but don't assume every yellow leaf needs another gallon of water. Let the soil breathe, give the plant enough room, and prune according to the natural size you're trying to maintain.
Most Cherry Laurel problems I've seen aren't due to the plants being difficult.
They're because we planted them too close, too deep, too wet, or in a space far smaller than the shrub wanted to become.
As I like to say, "The easiest hedge to maintain is the one that fits the space before you ever pick up the pruning shears."
Get those basics right, and Cherry Laurels can give you exactly what a good evergreen shrub should: dependable foliage, year-round structure, spring flowers, and privacy that doesn't disappear when winter arrives.