You can almost watch the cherry berries grow
Most species of laurel cherry develop very quickly and form tall, evergreen privacy screens within a few years. The growth per year in good locations can be up to fifty centimeters, so that the one meter high hedge when planted has already reached two meters in two years.
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Consider broad growth
However, the cherry laurel does not only stretch towards the sky. Even if a little smaller, it also grows considerably in width. Untrimmed, the shrub can grow up to 35 centimeters per year. If you have a large piece of land that you would like to enclose with a cherry laurel hedge, the enormous growing power of the shrub is no problem. In small terraced house gardens, however, space can quickly become scarce due to the strong growth.
Keep the cherry laurel in check
By pruning regularly, you can limit the rampant growth of the cherry laurel. The cut should always be made with mechanical cutting tools so that the beautiful leaves of the wood are not damaged. This maintenance measure produces enormous amounts of plant material that you can spread under the hedge as mulch (€ 213.00 at Amazon *). Slowly rotting, this layer of mulch suffocates weeds and protects the soil from drying out.
Don't plant too closely
So that the cherry laurel does not pressure other plants, you should plan sufficient distance to other plants and paths when planting the wood. So that you can easily reach all parts of the cherry laurel when cutting, you should add about fifty centimeters to the planned circumference.
Correct choice of variety
You don't have to go without cherry laurel in small gardens either. Breeds like Otto Luyken grow more slowly and do not get as tall as other varieties. They are well suited for low privacy hedges or as attractive solitary or boundary plants.
Tips & Tricks
The cherry laurel can even withstand being put back on the cane without any problems. You can use this to rejuvenate bushes that have grown too large and, by pruning them regularly, you can limit excessive growth in the future.
