How Far Apart Do You Plant Dwarf Cherry Bushes?

Spacing

• Under ideal conditions, Otto Luyken cherry laurel grows 6 to 10 feet tall with a 10 to 12 foot spread. To create a hedge or other situation where shrubs are contiguous, space the young plants 12 feet apart. Nana grows 6 to 8 feet tall and wide. In the same hedge situation, plant Nana specimens 8 feet apart. Planted this way, there will be significant gaps between shrubs until they mature, which can take five or more years. Fill the gaps with containerized plantings that can be moved when necessary.

Description

• Dwarf cherry laurel is a broadleaf evergreen plant, grown for its glossy foliage and its spikes or racemes of intensely fragrant white flowers that appear in mid-spring. Simple, oval-shaped leaves alternate on the stems, which have a cherry fragrance when bruised. The fruits, which are obscured by the leaves, appear in summer. They are purple to black cherry-like drupes or stone fruits. Non-dwarf varieties of cherry laurel can grow 10 to 18 feet tall and 25 to 30 feet wide.

Uses

• Because of its evergreen nature and growth habit (often wider than it is tall), dwarf cherry laurel is most often spaced fairly closely and used as a hedging plant. Lines of cherry laurel can define driveways and paths or separate distinct garden areas. Cherry laurel can also be used as a single specimen and included in part of a mixed foundation planting scheme. When planning for this application, it is important to consider the mature width of the plant varieties on either side of the laurel in order to avoid overcrowding.

Considerations

• The leaves of cherry laurels contain small amounts of cyanide and are highly toxic. Avoid using the plants in locations where children and animals might have access to the foliage. According to the USDA Invasive Plant Atlas of the United States, cherry laurel has been reported as invasive in the states of Oregon and Washington. Reports are based on observations of the species, rather than dwarf cultivars like Nana and Otto Luykens, which may or may not be invasive in those areas.