cherry laurel

When to prune cherry laurel?

Botanical name
Prunus laurocerasus
Family
Rosaceae

Cherry laurel is pruned from May to June. It is planted from September to February.

Cherry laurel is a woody perennial.

cherry laurel
Photo: Tomwsulcer · CC0

Cherry laurel through the year

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Pruning
Planting
15913172125293337414549
  • pruning
  • planting

In short

Pruning
from May to June
weeks 19 to 26
Planting
from September to February
week 36 to week 9 of the next year
Pruning cut
in summer
Spacing between plants
0.45 m

Growing conditions

🪨
Soil
loamy
☀️
Sun
full sun
💧
Water
little water
❄️
Frost
overwinters outdoors
📏
Height
3 to 8 m
⚠️
Toxicity
toxic to people and animals, toxic parts: stems, leaves and seeds

Pests and diseases

Listed here is every problem for which the sources name this plant as a host. The problems are not listed in order of how common they are.

Powdery mildew

disease
Signs
A white, floury coating spreads over the leaves, first on the lower and older ones. The leaf under it yellows and dries up. The fruit stays small, because the plant loses leaf surface.
Prevention
Plant resistant varieties, leave an airy spacing and sun, and clear the debris at the end of the season. Unlike most fungi it is not helped by wet foliage, since it spreads in heat and high air humidity, in a dry summer too.

Vine weevil

pest
Signs
The half round notches along the leaf edges in summer are the work of the adult beetles and do the plant little harm. The larvae are the danger: white grubs with a brown head eat the roots, the plant suddenly drops its leaves and dies, most often between autumn and spring.
Prevention
Most at risk are plants in pots and troughs. In a bed the damage is rarer. At repotting check the roots and the compost and pick the larvae out. You find the adult beetles in the evening with a light, when they crawl over the plants.
What to do
Pick the adults off in the evening, set sticky traps indoors and change the compost, removing the larvae as you go. There is no insecticide. As biological protection, water beneficial nematodes into the compost at the end of summer, while the larvae are still small.

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Related plants

The plants below are in the same botanical family (Rosaceae).

Sources about the plant: GBIF Backbone Taxonomy, NC State Extension Plant Toolbox, Oregon State University, Royal Horticultural Society, Wikidata. Checked between 14 and 28 August 2026. The problem descriptions also draw on: Clemson Cooperative Extension, KGZS, UF/IFAS Extension, University of Illinois Extension, University of Maryland Extension, University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension, Utah State University Extension.