What Type of Site and Soil is Suitable for Laurel Hedges?

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What type of soil is suitable for Laurel hedge plants?

Laurel hedge plants are easy to grow in just about any normal garden soil with just a couple of points to bear in mind here:

• If you have chalky soil then its best to avoid the Cherry Laurel varieties – instead choose from the Bay Laurel, Portuguese Laurel or Spotted Laurel as these three varieties all do well on chalk, or you could choose from our complete list of plants suitable for chalky soil.
• If your soil is poorly drained and becomes waterlogged during wet weather – then Laurels aren’t the best plant for you, they are unlikely to grow successfully in these conditions. We would recommend you take a look at our list of plants for wet sites instead.

What kind of site is suitable for Laurel hedge plants?

Apart from the Bay Laurel (which needs to have full sun), all other Laurel hedging varieties are very versatile plants, good for both sunny or shady areas. (If you are planting a Laurel hedge in the shade of other, larger trees and shrubs remember that the new plants will almost certainly need extra attention to watering for the first year or two until their root systems have established sufficiently to compete with the larger plants around them).

Laurels are not suitable for very exposed and windy sites (we would recommend you choose from our list of plants for windy and exposed sites instead) although Laurel ‘Etna’ and Portuguese Laurels are the hardiest of the bunch if you really are set on a Laurel hedge in which case we would recommend protecting the new Laurel hedge for the first season with some well anchored windbreak netting.

For gardens by the coast choose either the Bay Laurel or Spotted Laurel hedge plants as the foliage of other varieties is likely to get scorched by the salty conditions.

You may also find the following guides useful How To Make Your Laurel Grow Faster and Common Pests Diseases and Problems with Laurel Hedge Plants for more information on getting the best out of your Laurel Hedging Plants