Privacy walls made of wood or stone can quickly create a cramped atmosphere, especially in a small garden. Among the various plants commonly used for privacy hedges, the cherry laurel is considered particularly easy to care for and attractive.
Why is cherry laurel suitable as a privacy screen?
The cherry laurel offers many advantages as a privacy hedge: It is evergreen, grows densely and bushy, reaches high heights quickly and is easy to care for at the same time. Annual pruning is recommended, but sheltered locations from severe winter frosts are preferred.
Many reasons speak for the cherry laurel
In addition to other popular hedge plants, the cherry laurel is particularly valued for its growth characteristics. On the one hand, it grows strong and bushy enough that after planting the young plants about 50 cm apart, a reasonably dense and high hedge emerges just a few years later. On the other hand, the growth is moderate enough that even if it is over 2 m tall, one pruning per year should be sufficient. The following properties characterize a cherry laurel privacy hedge:
- Opaqueness after a few years at the location
- Cherry laurel is evergreen
- The deciduous tree usually does not shed its leaves even in winter (less fall of leaves in the garden)
- Depending on the variety, fragrant, white flowers are sometimes produced
Caution in locations with severe winter frosts
First of all, autumn planting should be avoided when planting cherry laurel. Only after planting in spring do the plants have enough time to root so that they can survive a cold winter unscathed. Severe winter frosts can be dangerous for some varieties of cherry laurel. However, planting the plants in a particularly sunny location is by no means a solution to this problem. On the contrary: strong fluctuations between day and night temperatures can damage the cherry laurel privacy hedge more than a location in damp partial shade.
Cut the cherry laurel correctly
A long and tall cherry laurel hedge, like other shrubs and hedge plants, can generally be cut with an electric hedge trimmer (€88.00 at Amazon). However, since the number of individual twigs and branches is limited in cherry laurel, targeted, manual pruning with pruning shears is also recommended. This not only makes it easier to collect the cuttings, but also prevents leaves from being cut in half, which would then turn unsightly brown on the plants.
Tip
If the cherry laurel turns brown after a harsh winter with lots of frosts and then sheds all of its leaves, you should not remove the plants straight away. There is definitely a certain chance that the bald cherry laurel will show new shoots again a few weeks later.
