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Cherry laurel vs Portuguese laurel on chalky soils

Updated: 21 October 2026

You searched one common name and the results offer two hedges and a herb. Cherry laurel versus Portuguese laurel is a soil decision first and a speed decision second. Cherry laurel is Prunus laurocerasus. Portuguese laurel is Prunus lusitanica. They are not a large and a small size of the same plant. This page is from Peter F. on 21 October 2026. We checked only cherry laurel on amazon.co.uk, on 19 October 2026, in the [cherry laurel comparison](/hub/hedges-and-privacy-screens/cherry-laurel). Portuguese laurel is not in that table, so choosing it means leaving the five packs. A qualifying purchase of those cherry laurel listings can earn a commission at no extra cost to you. We did not price a Portuguese laurel hedge.

You searched one common name and the results offer two hedges and a herb. Cherry laurel versus Portuguese laurel is a soil decision first and a speed decision second. Cherry laurel is Prunus laurocerasus.

Our top picks

Carbeth Plants Carbeth Rotundifolia, 10 plants

Best overall

Carbeth Plants Carbeth Rotundifolia, 10 plants
8.3/10about £70.99
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Carbeth Plants Carbeth Rotundifolia, 15 plants

Best value

Carbeth Plants Carbeth Rotundifolia, 15 plants
8.2/10about £100.99
View offer
Easy Plants Easy Plants Novita, 1 plant

Alternative

Easy Plants Easy Plants Novita, 1 plant
4.2/10about £13.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Two plants, not two sizes of one plant
  2. 2.Chalk, shade and wet ground
  3. 3.Privacy, clipping and how big they get
  4. 4.The recommendation

Two plants, not two sizes of one plant

Cherry laurel has large glossy leaves, white spring flowers, and fruits that ripen from red to black. The RHS puts the species at 4–8 m, a spread wider than 8 m, and hardiness H5. It is not a UK native. Rotundifolia in a Carbeth 3 L pot and Novita in an Easy Plants 17 cm pot are both still cherry laurel. Portuguese laurel has smaller, darker leaves and a neater clipped face. The RHS says it can exceed 12 m if never pruned. That is a warning, not a taller screen in year two. Bay, Laurus nobilis, is the culinary leaf. If a title only says laurel, read the botanical name.

Chalk, shade and wet ground

On poorer, shallow chalk, the RHS plant is Portuguese laurel. Cherry laurel may yellow there, and you cannot shop out of that inside this Amazon set. Hopes Grove's trade advice matches that soil note. A deep loam over chalk is a different bed from a thin crust. Novita's full-shade note is still cherry laurel, not a cure for chalk. Neither plant belongs in waterlogged ground. If the soil is that chalk and you still want a laurel, leave the buying guide and buy Portuguese laurel where it is actually sold. If the soil drains and you want the broad leaf, stay with cherry laurel.
Carbeth Plants Carbeth Rotundifolia, 10 plants

Testsieger

Carbeth Plants Carbeth Rotundifolia, 10 plants
8.3/10about £70.99
View offer

Privacy, clipping and how big they get

A trade rule of thumb is about 30–60 cm a year for cherry laurel and about 20–40 cm for Portuguese laurel. Those are not an RHS trial. Carbeth's at least 90 cm a year is a seller claim. Do not use it to beat Portuguese laurel. Year-one privacy is the height you bought. These cherry laurels are about 60–80 cm, and a reviewer said the Carbeth figure includes the pot. Large cherry laurel leaves tear under a coarse trimmer, so a formal face wants secateurs. Portuguese laurel's smaller leaf takes a light shear more neatly. Cherry laurel is on the GB non-native species register and shades woodland at the edge of a wood. Gardeners' World says Portuguese laurel is not considered invasive in that same discussion. Both are HTA ornamental-fruit Prunus: harmful if eaten. See is cherry laurel poisonous?. The cuttings rule applies to both.

The recommendation

On poorer, shallow chalk, plant Portuguese laurel and do not order these Rotundifolia or Novita packs. Where the soil drains and is not that crust, cherry laurel is the broad-leaf screen this table sells. Prune if you want it to stay a hedge. Unpruned cherry laurel is a wide shrub. Unpruned Portuguese laurel can exceed 12 m on the RHS page. A high evergreen barrier can become a neighbour dispute once it is over 2 m and blocks light. That is later management. Neither berry is food, and none of these Amazon listings is Portuguese laurel.

Common questions

Which one do I plant on chalk?
Portuguese laurel. The RHS says it thrives on poor, shallow, chalky soils, and that cherry laurel may yellow on that ground. The five amazon.co.uk packs in our comparison are cherry laurel only, so this answer takes you out of the table. A deep fertile bed that happens to sit in a chalk area is a different site from a thin chalk bank.
Which one gives a taller screen sooner?
Often cherry laurel, if you believe the trade rules of thumb of about 30–60 cm a year against about 20–40 cm for Portuguese laurel. Those are not RHS trial figures. What you plant on day one matters more. A 60–80 cm cherry laurel does not beat a taller Portuguese pot you bought elsewhere. Carbeth's 90 cm claim is not the number to use in this comparison.
Which looks neater when clipped?
Portuguese laurel usually does, because the leaf is smaller and a light shear leaves a tighter face. Cherry laurel can be formal too, but large leaves look ragged if a trimmer shreds them, so you cut with secateurs or loppers. Neatness is maintenance either way. Neither plant stays a narrow panel if you skip a year.
Do both poison dogs?
Both are harmful if eaten. The HTA label for ornamental-fruit Prunus covers cherry laurel and Portugal laurel. The RHS names dogs, rabbits and rodents for cherry laurel kernels. Choosing Portuguese laurel for chalk does not make the berries or the cuttings a safe chew. Clear prunings and phone a vet if an animal has eaten them.
Will cherry laurel grow in shade?
The species is listed for sun or partial shade. Novita, which is still cherry laurel, is listed by the RHS for full shade as well. Deep shade plus shallow chalk is the awkward combination: shade does not cancel the chlorosis warning. Portuguese laurel is the chalk answer even when the fence is gloomy.

Related pages

How to plant a cherry laurel hedge

Cherry laurel hedge

Best cherry laurel for a hedge in this UK Amazon set

Cherry laurel hedging plants: count the row before you order

Is cherry laurel poisonous? Leaves, berries, cuttings

Sources

Public UK sources named below. amazon.co.uk prices, stars and review counts are from the five listings in this comparison. Page updated 21 October 2026.

  1. RHS, Prunus laurocerasus (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  2. RHS, Prunus laurocerasus Novita (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  3. RHS, Prunus lusitanica (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  4. GOV.UK, high hedges: complaining to the council (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  5. High Hedges (Scotland) Act 2013 (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  6. High Hedges Act (Northern Ireland) 2011, section 2 (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  7. Veterinary Poisons Information Service, cherry laurel (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  8. PDSA, poisonous plants (retrieved 21 October 2026)