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Planting Laurel is a great way to screen overlooking windows. At King & Co we stock Cherry and Portuguese laurel trees. Both of which are a great way to add privacy to exposed gardens!
Cherry laurel (Prunus laurocerasus)
Cherry Laurel is a fast-growing evergreen with large, glossy green leaves. In spring, upright clusters of small, fragrant white flowers appear. These are followed by red to black cherry-like fruits in autumn. If you want to avoid the berries, prune the tree hard after flowering. This also encourages fresh new growth for summer.
Our current batch has a 1.7–1.9m clear stem that won’t grow taller. A dense head of foliage sits above a 6ft fence, forming a natural “stilted hedge.” Plant trees 1.2–1.5m apart for a seamless green screen. This setup is ideal for blocking unwanted views like satellite dishes, windows, or extensions. You can also use a single tree to screen a specific area.
Cherry Laurel grows quickly, around 30–50cm per year once established, and can reach up to 8m tall. It responds well to heavy pruning, so you can keep it formal or let it grow naturally. Either way, it’s a tough, attractive option for privacy and year-round greenery.
Portuguese laurel (Prunus lusitanica)
Portuguese laurel is another tough, hardy evergreen ideal for year-round screening. It has slightly glossy, dark green leaves that grow from purple-tinted young stems. In spring, clusters of fragrant white flowers appear, followed by small purple fruits in autumn.
Our current batch has a clear stem of around 1.6m, with a dense heads of foliage measuring 90–110cm. The foliage sits above a standard 6ft fence, creating a raised or “stilted” hedge. Like Cherry laurel, these trees are perfect for screening unwanted views like neighbouring windows, satellite dishes, or extensions. They can also be planted 1.2–1.5m apart to create a continuous screen, or place a single tree to block a specific view.
Portuguese laurel has a dense growth habit and reaches 6–8m tall when mature. It responds well to annual clipping, making it easy to maintain a clean, formal shape.
Pleached Trees
We also stock Cherry laurel in pleached as well as standard form. Our current batch of pleached trees have clear stems of 1.8m with a trained framework of foliage. The foliage panel measures 1.5m wide by 1.2m high and sits above a standard 6ft fence, perfect for creating a stilted hedge. Pleached trees are ideal if you prefer a more formal, structured look over natural growth.
Read More:
1. Tree Care Tips: How to plant, water and maintain your trees
2. Pleached Photinia Red Robin: A Stunning Screening Solution
3. What trees are best for new build gardens?
