Carolina Cherry Laurel is a popular landscape shrub throughout the South for good reason. Once established, it’s highly drought tolerant and very low-maintenance. It produces delicate white flowers that are popular with bees and berries that the birds love. It’s an extremely aggressive spreader, which can actually be a positive if you are looking for a native plant to out-compete highly invasive plants such as Privet, and it’s a keystone species for butterflies.

Care requirements:

Light requirements: Full Sun-Part Shade

Water requirements: Medium

Soil requirements: Medium-Moist, well-drained

Bloom time: White

Bloom color: February-April

Height: 15-35 feet

Width: 15-20 feet

USDA Zone: 7-10

Larval host: Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, Coral Hairstreak, Red Spotted Purple, Viceroy, Spring Azure, Summer Azure butterflies

Other notes: Carolina Cherry Laurel is easy to transplant and can also tolerate heavy pruning. It spreads somewhat aggressively by root suckers and seeds and can become weedy, but it is known to be one of the few plants that can out-compete the highly invasive Privet. It is evergreen and a good choice for a privacy hedge due to how densely it will grow. It is drought tolerant once established. The leaves have a cherry fragrance when crushed and are deer-resistant due to all parts of the plant being toxic. Plants in the Prunus genus are some of the best keystone species, supporting 340 species of butterflies

Emily’s notes: When we bought our house I was delighted to discover several established Cherry Laurel plants already growing in our backyard. We also unfortunately have privet planted along the same fence, and true to its reputation, the Carolina Cherry Laurels have held their own and helped keep the privet from spreading. They’re very low maintenance plants once established; I have not watered or pruned a single plant in the years that we have lived here and they are all growing quite well. They are some of the first plants to bloom and stay absolutely covered in all types of bees.

Do you have Carolina Cherry Laurel growing in your garden? Do you have any tips or tricks for growing it you would like to share? Do you know of any Southeastern nurseries that regularly stock it? Let us know in the comments!