As of: March 15, 2024, 2:30 p.m
By: Ines Alms
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The cherry laurel is controversial and has disadvantages in the garden.
If you want to plant new plants or replace old plants, you will find more environmentally friendly types here.
In Switzerland, cherry laurel will be banned from September 1, 2024 - it may not be brought onto the market, planted or propagated.
The plant is an invasive species that displaces native plants and has no useful value for bees and other insects.
There is still no prospect of a ban in Germany.
Even though the cherry laurel is a very attractive hedge plant with its dense evergreen foliage, many nature lovers are still looking for alternatives.
Cherry laurel is easy to care for, but also requires a lot of green waste
The robust privet (Ligustrum vulgare), for example, is an insect-friendly alternative to cherry laurel.
© Zoonar/Imago
The cherry laurel (Prunus laurocerasus), also known as cherry laurel, is hardy, evergreen, easy to care for, very easy to grow and, last but not least, inexpensive.
It is also undemanding in terms of soil requirements and when planted as a hedge it offers a quick natural privacy screen from neighbors.
That almost sounds like a perfect plant, but like the thuja or the rhododendron, it is controversial primarily because of its importance for the environment.
But it also has other disadvantages: rapid growth leads to a larger amount of green clippings, and pruning itself leads to unsightly leaf edges.
The plant is also poisonous.
You can find even more exciting garden topics in the regular newsletter from our partner 24garten.de.
Eight alternatives for cherry laurel
Fortunately, the flora is large and there are many types of shrubs and hedge plants that are both easy to care for and provide enrichment for bees, bumblebees, butterflies and birds.
A selection for the garden:
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Yew (Taxus baccata): Evergreen, opaque - but only partially suitable for allergy sufferers
Cornelian cherry (Cornus mas): very easy to cut and robust, produces edible fruits
Red dogwood (Cornus sanguinea): undemanding, attractive foliage color in autumn, red twigs in winter
Wild roses (e.g. apple rose): robust, fragrant flowers until autumn, then red rose hips
Common privet (Ligustrum vulgare): very dense and robust, soil and climate tolerant
Holly (Ilex aquifolium): evergreen, shade tolerant, fruits very popular with birds (only female plants), somewhat prickly
Hazelnut (Corylus avellana): good privacy protection, edible nuts from summer onwards, very tall when uncut
Common viburnum (Viburnum opulus): undemanding, sprawling and elegant, with showy large flowers
In order to find the right plant for your own garden, the location, the soil and of course the height of growth play a crucial role.
Anyone who chooses native plants is already on the right track when it comes to insects, birds and other wild animals.
These plants are usually more robust and cheaper to buy.