Small and broad, round or tall - the cherry laurel is fundamentally differentiated according to its shape and thus its intended use in the garden. It is precisely these shapes that can give an indication of the winter hardiness of the plant. When making the selection, you should therefore pay attention to whether the cherry laurel in question is suitable for the respective climate in winter.
Small and broad
Small and broad-growing forms of cherry laurel have limited height growth and thus various advantages. These include:
Use as a ground cover:
Due to the low and wide growth, they can be used as ground cover and green larger areas.
Low altitude, greater winter hardiness:
Due to the low altitude, the plants are hardly exposed to cold wind. In winter it is therefore less sensitive and can withstand colder temperatures. Separate protection is therefore not necessary.
Free choice of location:
Due to the greater winter hardiness, the broad-growing cherry laurel varieties are also suitable for exposed areas and do not have to be planted in protected areas or cultivated in pots.
Round cherry laurel
As the name suggests, the round cherry laurel grows in a rounded shape. However, it is not just the growth habit that distinguishes it from the other cherry laurel varieties. There are also
the following characteristics and factors:height
The round cherry laurel is slightly higher than the ground-covering variants. As a rule, the plants are at least one meter high, but mostly higher.
Cut tolerance
The round cherry laurel is easy to cut and can therefore easily be brought into the desired shape.
Varying winter hardiness
In contrast to the low and broad-growing cherry laurel varieties, not every cultivated form of the round cherry laurel is well winter hardy. In addition, due to its height, it is more exposed to the cold wind. In regions with particularly cold winters, it should therefore be considered whether the plant is cultivated in the tub. Alternatively, however, particularly resistant cultivars can also be selected. If these are also covered with mulch and brushwood on the ground, the risk of frost damage can be further reduced.
From solitary to hedge
Due to their height and shape, round cherry laurel varieties can be used as solitary plants but also form low hedges.
Upright varieties
Tall and upright cherry laurel varieties are ideal as hedge plants. However, due to their habit, they also have some peculiarities
when wintering. This includes:Sensitivity to frost
The upright cultivars are the most sensitive of all growth forms to cold wind and frost. On the one hand, this is due to the fact that they are also more exposed to temperatures than the lower variants. As a hedge, they offer each other a certain amount of protection. In particularly cold regions, however, this is not always sufficient.
Necessary winter protection
In colder regions, mulch, brushwood, leaves or straw should be applied to the earth around the cherry laurel plants. In the case of very cold winds, it can also make sense to lightly cover the plants with special plant fleece. However, the plants should not be wrapped in such a way that they are permanently darkened. Because that too can damage them.
Winter hardy breeds
In order to avoid a culture in the bucket, suitable cultivars with a greater winter hardiness should be selected. Even then, however, it can make sense to attach additional winter protection.
Winter hardy variants
Every cherry laurel is partially hardy. In regions with very mild winters, you do not have to pay special attention to which varieties are being planted. The additional protection by covering the soil and the plants is also not absolutely necessary. However, the measures can be useful if a hard and long winter is to be expected.
If the cherry laurel is to be cultivated in colder regions, however, the following varieties are recommended:
- Cherry laurel Caucasica
- Cherry laurel cherry brandy
- Cherry laurel Herbergii
- Cherry laurel Otto Luyken
- Cherry laurel Genolia
These are particularly hardy and are therefore also suitable for unprotected areas and particularly low temperatures.
Frost damage
The evergreen cherry laurel can show frost damage without freezing to death or dying. These are frostbite on the leaves. The leaves turn yellow to brownish and then fall off. Individual shoots and branches can also
freeze to death and die. As long as the damage is limited to small sections, it is harmless. The dead plant parts can be cut off in spring.If larger areas die, the plant should be given additional protection. As mentioned, a layer on the ground and covering with garden fleece can have an insulating effect and prevent serious damage. The fleece should be removed on sunny and milder days so that light can penetrate the leaves. Because in a dark winter, damage and leaf loss could also occur.
Winter in the house
An alternative to choosing protected locations and particularly hardy cherry laurel varieties is cultivation in the bucket and wintering in the house. Only a few points need to be considered:
Sufficient light
Since the cherry laurel is an evergreen plant, it needs sufficient light even during the winter. A location near a window or at least a bright room is therefore important.
Right temperature
A wintering temperature between 0 and 10 ° C is ideal. The room should therefore be frost-free, but not heated. If the temperature is too high, the plant does not go into hibernation, but continues to photosynthesize to a high degree. However, the light conditions in winter are not sufficient for this. A too warm winter can therefore cause the cherry laurel to be damaged.
No fertilizer
The fertilization of the cherry laurel should be stopped in autumn. As nutrient consumption and demand decrease in winter, the soil could become overfertilized very quickly and the roots suffer chemical burns.
Little water
In winter, too, the cherry laurel supplies itself with water from the ground on frost-free days. When wintering indoors, care should therefore also be taken to ensure that the earth does not dry out completely.
