Cherry laurel is evergreen, dense and fast-growing - no wonder it is often used as a hedge plant! However, a pure cherry laurel hedge also has some disadvantages, including that it can look quite boring in the long run. A mixed hedge can help.
Which plants are suitable for a mixed hedge with cherry laurel?
For a mixed hedge with cherry laurel, flowering shrubs such as weigela, spirea, barberry, lilac or privet as well as evergreen conifers such as boxwood, arborvitae (Thuja), cypress, holly (Ilex), yew (Taxus), spruce and pine can be used can be combined.
Which shrubs are suitable for a mixed evergreen hedge?
Basically, you can combine the cherry laurel with variousconifers to form a mixed, evergreen hedge. Please note, however, that the individual species grow at different rates and sometimes have different requirements in terms of location and care. You have these options:
- combine different types of cherry laurel
- Boxwood
- Tree of Life (Thuja)
- Cypress and false cypress
- Holly (Ilex)
- Yew (Taxus)
- Spruce
- Pine
With this selection you can create varied mixed hedges, whereby you even have a free choice ofleaf or needle color. There are yellow or blue-green thujas and false cypresses, which create an interesting accent between the dark green leaves of the cherry laurel.
Which flowering hedge plants does cherry laurel get along with?
The problem with cherry laurel is its low ecological usability, which is why you can significantly enhance the tree by mixing it with flowering shrubsfor birds and insects. Possible combinations would be, for example:
- Weigela
- Spierbush
- Barberry
- Dogwood
- Lilac
- buddleia
- Snowball
- Pipe Bush
- Kolkwitzie
- Privet
But be careful: Do not plant cherry laurel together with bushes that have edible fruits! The danger is too great that the poisonous cherry laurel berries accidentally end up in the basket during harvest.
What doesn't go well with cherry laurel?
In principle, there are no restrictions regarding the choice of planting partners - cherry laurel generally gets along well with all types of plants. However, the prerequisite is that they also share thelocation preferences of the hedge plant, which would be:
- partially shaded location
- humus-rich, well-drained soil
- rather dry ground
Cherry laurel copes very well with drought and should therefore preferably be planted with plant species that are alsodrought-tolerant. The fast-growing shrub only needs to be watered during hot periods and reacts quite sensitively to too much moisture.
Which plants can you plant cherry laurel under?
Underplanting the cherry laurel is difficult because it is too narrow and dark in this area for most plants. However, you can plant the area in front of a cherry laurel hedge very well, for whichflowering plants with strong colorsare particularly suitable. White, yellow and red in particular harmonize very well with the shiny, dark green foliage of the cherry laurel. Onion flowers, which include many spring bloomers, go well with cherry laurel. Rhododendrons, azaleas anddecorative foliage plants such as hostas (hostas), ferns or lady's mantle also harmonize well with such a background.
How to plant a mixed hedge?
When planting the mixed hedge, it is important to meticulously adhere to the respectiveplant spacing. Ultimately, the young plants should have enough space for he althy growth. Place the plants in the ground according to their respective needs, but they must not be planted deeper than they were in the container. Dig planting holes that are twice as large as the respective root balls, ensureadequate drainageand add some maturecompost. The best time to plant is late summer or early autumn.
Tip
Alternating planting
You get a particularly harmonious overall picture through rhythmic planting, i.e. H. They only mix a few species together and repeat them at regular intervals within a row.
