Cherry, Portuguese and bay laurel
The independent guide to laurel hedging
We've worked with laurel hedging for years. This site covers which laurel to pick, how to plant it and keep it tidy, and where to buy it when you're ready.
Why laurel hedging?
A hedge that's hard to get wrong
Several quite different plants go by the name laurel, and three of them make very good hedges. We started this site to clear up the confusion between them and help anyone new to laurel hedging choose the right one.
Laurel will grow in almost any well-drained soil, in sun or part shade. Once it’s established you can keep it at more or less any height or width with one or two cuts a year, which is why it has been a favourite British hedge for well over a century.
- Screens your garden and adds privacy
- Acts as a natural windbreak
- Helps reduce traffic noise
- Makes your property more secure
- Marks your boundary
- Gives wildlife a home
- Protects against soil erosion
- Green all year round
Types of laurel hedging
Which laurel is right for you?
Fastest growing
Cherry laurel
Prunus laurocerasus
Big glossy leaves and up to 60cm of growth a year. If you want a screen quickly and cheaply, this is the one.
Hardiest
Portuguese laurel
Prunus lusitanica
Smaller, darker leaves on red stems. It grows a little slower than cherry laurel but it's tougher, and it's happy on chalk and in cold, windy gardens.
Topiary and kitchen
Bay laurel
Laurus nobilis
The true laurel, and the only one you can cook with. Most people grow it as a lollipop standard in a pot, but it also makes a neat hedge in a sheltered spot.
Top laurel hedging picks
Buy laurel hedging online
These are the laurel hedging plants we'd look at on Amazon UK. We link to the listings rather than quoting prices, because Amazon's prices change every day.
Classic topiary
Bay tree standard
The traditional lollipop bay. Keep it sheltered and protect it in hard frosts.
Best for: Pots either side of a door
Check price on AmazonBest all-rounder
Pot-grown cherry laurel hedging
The classic large-leaved laurel hedge. Look for bushy plants of 60 to 100cm with several stems from the base.
Best for: Fast, dense screening on a budget
Check price on AmazonHardier choice
Portuguese laurel hedging plants
Smaller, glossier leaves and red stems. Hardier than cherry laurel and clips beautifully.
Best for: Cold, exposed or chalky gardens
Check price on AmazonTopiary
Portuguese laurel standard
A lollipop-trained Portuguese laurel. A hardy alternative to a bay standard in colder gardens.
Best for: Front doors and formal planting
Check price on AmazonKitchen garden
Bay laurel plant (Laurus nobilis)
A young bay bush for a pot or sheltered hedge. The leaves are the ones you cook with.
Best for: Growing your own bay leaves
Check price on AmazonHedging favourite
Cherry laurel Rotundifolia
The most popular cherry laurel variety for hedging, with slightly rounder leaves and a naturally upright habit.
Best for: Formal hedges from 1.5 to 4 metres
Check price on AmazonLaurel hedging guides
How to plant a laurel hedge
Spacing, timing and the trench method for a hedge that establishes fast.
Read the planting guideHedges and the law
High hedge rules, boundaries and what your neighbours can and cannot do.
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