English laurel
Prunus laurocerasus
USDA zones6 to 8
SunHandles full sun or partial sun or full shade
WaterHandles moderate to moist soil
Size10 to 18 feet tall20 to 25 feet wide
- Growth rate
- Rapid
- Habit
- Dense
- Bloom season
- Spring, summer, autumn, winter
- Bloom color
- Creamy white
- Foliage color
- Green
- Soil types
- Sand, loam, clay, chalk
- Soil pH
- Acid, alkaline, neutral
Garden uses
Attracts
Notes
English laurel (Prunus laurocerasus) is a shrub for hedges, privacy screens, specimen plantings, and containers. It is hardy to USDA zone 6, or down to -10°F (-23°C). This plant likes full sun to full shade and average to moist soil of most types. It grows fast into a dense evergreen mass with fragrant, creamy white flowers. Bees, butterflies, and birds visit it, so give it room to spread.
Pairs well with Coralbells, Japanese forest grass, and Sum and Substance hosta.
Native range
Southern Europe and southwestern Asia.