Meet Prunus caroliniana, better known as a cherry laurel. This evergreen tree makes an excellent privacy screen and is great for attracting birds. It's a native to the eastern United States from Florida on up to North Carolina. It very low maintanence as my parents can attest. Just plant it and water it then let it grow. They planted cherry laurels at at least two of their homes to use as privacy screens.
The dark green foliage is very attractive. Cherry laurels can be treated as shrubs and pruned accordingly or could be trained as a tree by cutting away the lower branches and removing suckers as they appear. They can grow between 20-40 feet tall. According to Floridata (a great place for information on individual plants) these trees are very easy to propagate either through seed or through cuttings. Can you guess what I'll be doing soon?
There were many more where that came from! In the spring time white flowers cover these trees. Often the foliage hides the flowers from view but a quick inspection will find them easily. They like full sun but are tolerant of shady places. I haven't seen any pests or diseases on these cherry laurels which leads me to believe that they are relatively safe from either ailment.
What's good about Cherry Laurel (Prunus caroliniana)?
- Evergeen color
- Spring Flowers
- Fall Berries
- Propagates easily!