As of: March 18, 2024, 9:35 a.m
By: Andrea Stettner
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The cherry laurel grows and thrives in Germany's front gardens.
However, from September this will be over in Switzerland: the neighboring country will ban the exotic plant.
Anyone traveling in Germany's new development areas will hardly miss one plant - the cherry laurel, also known as the laurel cherry.
The pretty plant with evergreen leaves forms an opaque hedge.
This is one of the reasons why it has become increasingly popular in recent years.
However, the cherry laurel is a thorn in the side of conservationists because, according to
NABU
, the plant not only offers little benefit to native animals, but is also an invasive neophyte.
This means that the plant spreads quickly and displaces the native flora.
Switzerland is therefore already taking action - and has imposed a ban on cherry laurel and other invasive plant species from September 1, 2024.
Switzerland will ban cherry laurel and other invasive plants from September 2024
A cherry laurel hedge like you see in many new development areas here.
The plant will be banned in Switzerland from September 2024.
© Zoonar.com/Peter Himmelhuber/Imago
In addition to cherry laurel, the ban also affects the butterfly bush and the bluebell tree. “The sale of certain invasive alien plants to third parties is prohibited, such as sales, gifts and imports,” says the Swiss Federal Council.
The ban on handling is further expanded in the Release Ordinance: “It regulates that various invasive alien plants may no longer be used in the environment, i.e., for example, they may no longer be brought onto the market, planted or propagated.” Import controls are also possible.
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Plants that already grow in Swiss gardens are expressly exempt from the ban.
According to the Federal Council, the adjustments to the regulation are only intended to prevent additional invasive alien plants from entering the environment and spreading there.
Is a ban on cherry laurel likely in Germany too?
In Germany, too, there are numerous plants on the Union list for which there are EU-wide bans on possession and marketing.
So far, the cherry laurel, the butterfly bush and the bluebell tree are not on the banned list, but are classified as potentially invasive by the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation.
However, in response to a request from the portal
MyHomebook.de,
the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation gave the all-clear: “No possession or marketing bans can currently be derived from this.” However, if it occurs in the wild, it must be checked to what extent other plants could be at risk.