The cherry laurel as a boxwood substituteTraditional boxwoods are particularly popular. They have a slow growth. They are extremely tolerant of pruning. In addition, boxwoods are hardy, evergreen, low-maintenance, and hardy. Box trees are therefore well suited as evergreen hedges. But unfortunately there is the boxwood borer, which ruins our boxwood hedges. But other boxwood diseases, such as boxwood mildew, can also be dangerous to a boxwood hedge. The boxwood mildew or even the boxwood borer can completely destroy a boxwood hedge and this unfortunately happens more and more often nowadays, even in our regions. Therefore, it is time for garden owners to look for boxwood replacements that are less susceptible to boxwood diseases. We therefore provide the cherry laurel as a boxwood substitute from.
The Portuguese cherry laurel as a boxwood substitute
There are definitely cherry laurel varieties that have a dense, compact growth and a pretty appearance. This is the case, for example, with the undemanding Portuguese cherry laurel (Prunus lusitanica 'Angustifolia'). This hedge plant comes originally from Portugal and it has by nature a particularly slow, compact growth, just like a box tree. Because of this slow growth, the Portuguese cherry laurel can also keep its shape for a long time. It then also does not need to be cut back so often. In addition, the Portuguese cherry laurel is extremely robust, frost-hardy and cut-resistant.
The growth of this wonderful evergreen cherry laurel is slender and exceptionally well branched. The Portuguese cherry laurel can reach growth heights of several meters and it has an annual growth of between 15 and 30 centimeters. You only need to prune a Portuguese cherry laurel once a year, which is really convenient. Portuguese cherry laurel hedges are therefore a wonderful boxwood substitute because they are as evergreen, slow growing, compact and opaque as boxwood hedges.
The Portuguese cherry laurel as a boxwood substitute.
The cherry laurel 'Otto Luyken' as a boxwood substitute
The particularly compact, strongly branched, evergreen and especially pruning-tolerant cherry laurel 'Otto Luyken' (Prunus laurocerasus 'Otto Luyken') gets white flowers and it has an upright, broad-bushy and rather slow growth habit. It can grow up to 2 meters high. Be up to 3 meters wide. Therefore, this variety of cherry laurel is particularly suitable as a replacement for boxwood. Learn more about the cherry laurel under cherry laurel as a fact sheet. Under uses of the cherry laurel.
The cherry laurel 'Otto Luyken' as a box tree substitute.
The cherry laurel 'Caucasica' as a boxwood substitute
The particularly compact, pruning-tolerant, whitish-flowering, hardy, robust and evergreen cherry laurel 'Caucasica' (Prunus laurocerasus 'Caucasica') is also an excellent hedge plant that can also be used as a boxwood substitute. Indeed, the cherry laurel 'Caucasica' has an upright, strongly branched growth habit that can form particularly opaque hedges that can provide a decorative, green structure in the garden all year round.
The cherry laurel 'Caucasica' as a boxwood replacement
Cherry laurel varieties are less susceptible
Cherry laurel varieties can be used well as a boxwood substitute. By the way, Japanese hollies are also very suitable as boxwood substitutes, such as Japanese holly 'Dark Green'® or Japanese holly 'Convexa'. And all these plants have one thing in common: they are resistant when it comes to boxwood diseases. The control of these aggressive boxwood diseases is in fact difficult and can be extremely lengthy. Effective pesticides do not exist and the only option then is to cut off infested plant parts altogether.
That's why these days there are alternatives to prevent these boxwood diseases from appearing in your garden in the first place: Boxwood substitutes! The boxwood substitutes that are now available in specialized stores are an adequate substitute, because they are just as easy to care for and prune as real boxwoods. Moreover, they can be used for topiary if you prefer topiary. Here you can also learn more about the different cutting options for cherry laurels. At the outset, we have already referred to the pleasant ease of care of the. Pruning tolerance of cherry laurel indicated. In fact, among the cherry laurel varieties there are also evergreen, compact, slow-growing varieties that can keep their shape for a long time due to their slow growth, such as the Portuguese cherry laurel. These strongly branched plants provide a beautiful, green structure in the garden even in winter. In addition, cherry laurel hedges can grow in the sun or partial shade, just like a boxwood. When it comes to garden soil, a cherry laurel can grow well on nutrient-rich, well-drained, slightly moist soil. Waterlogging should, however, be avoided. Exactly these soil conditions also apply to a box tree. How practical! The cherry laurel is also just as frost resistant as a boxwood, and a cherry laurel hedge can provide light and privacy in the garden just as well as a boxwood hedge. Is a cherry laurel suitable for your garden??
Please note that the cherry laurel has poisonous leaves and berries. So wear gloves and protective clothing when pruning. However, this is not necessary when cutting a boxwood hedge. Cut your hedge plants also only on frost-free days when the sun is not shining. This also allows fresh interfaces to heal more quickly.
The versatile alternatives to the boxwood
Many garden owners have already given up the fight to control box elder borer or box elder mold. In the meantime you have found substitute plants to replace the well-known and popular box tree. Various hedge plants are suitable for topiary, such as Japanese holly, yew, spindle shrub, arborvitae or the evergreen cherry laurel. The boxwood is of course unique in that it can grow even in nutrient poor sandy soils or even in the shade. Which boxwood replacement is the most suitable now?? This then depends in each case on your wishes. But it is clear that there is a boxwood only once! Cherry laurel hedges are robust, as cherry laurel hedges can even tolerate radical pruning, should this be necessary.
Nevertheless, it is time to rethink, because the aggressive boxwood borer is spreading more and more in our regions, too, and the boxwood mold is difficult to control! We know that the evergreen all-rounder, i.e. our wonderful boxwood, cannot be completely replaced. But if you want to avoid boxwood diseases in your garden, then boxwood replacement is ideal! The alternatives are numerous, so you should consider well in advance which cherry laurel variant as a boxwood replacement is well suited to the soil and climatic conditions in your garden. Box tree diseases are then a thing of the past. Be aware, however, that cherry laurel growth can be invasive and aggressive, so regular pruning is imperative if you want to form cherry laurel hedges in your yard.