Spotted laurel

Spotted laurel: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Rounded, dense evergreen shrub of 1.5–3 m.

Leaf

Opposite, 8–20 cm, elliptic, coarsely toothed in the upper half, leathery and glossy; spotted with yellow in many garden forms.

Twigs

Thick, bright green twigs, even in winter.

Flower

Small, purplish-brown flowers in upright clusters in March–April; male and female on separate plants.

Fruit

Glossy scarlet, elongated berries (about 1.5 cm) on female plants, all winter long; poisonous.

Difference from cherry laurel

Cherry laurel has alternate leaves with an (almost) untoothed edge, white flower spikes and black cherries.

Difference from Japanese aralia

Japanese aralia has huge, palmately lobed leaves.

Flowering: March–April · Pruning: April–May

Identify by feature: Evergreen leaves · Red berries

Looks like it, but isn’t

• Cherry laurel Prunus laurocerasus: alternate leaves with an (almost) untoothed edge, white flower spikes and black cherries. Difference from cherry laurel
• Japanese aralia Fatsia japonica: huge, palmately lobed leaves. Difference from Japanese aralia

Why grow it?

• Grows in deep shade, where little else will grow, even under trees.
• Evergreen, with yellow-speckled leaves that brighten a dark corner.
• Red berries all winter on female plants.
• Tough: tolerates town air, dry shade and little care.

Spotted laurel: where does it grow best?

• Partial to deep shade; in full sun the leaves scorch.
• Any free-draining soil, acid or chalky; no wet feet.
• Copes with dry shade under trees and the sheltered, dark corner of a town garden.
• Allow 2 m width.

Light

Partial shade or shade

Legal basis

Any garden soil

Moisture

Normal

Size

2.5 m tall, 2 m wide

Hardiness

Throughout Belgium, no protection needed

Goes well with

• Holly: Another evergreen for shade; together a dark green backdrop with red berries in winter.
• Japanese skimmia: Another evergreen shade shrub, with red berries or buds in winter.
• Oregon grape: Yellow flowers in winter next to the speckled leaves, in the same shade.

Good and bad companions

Goes well with

• Tolerates shade and suits planting under large trees such as: ginkgo, box elder, ash, honey locust, field maple, silver maple

Spotted laurel: when and how to plant it?

1. Plant in spring (April–May) or early autumn (September–October), root-balled or from a pot.
2. For berries, plant a female with a male nearby, or choose a variety that bears berries on its own, such as ‘Rozannie’.
3. Dig a generous planting hole and mix in a little compost.
4. Water generously after planting and in dry spells during the first year.

Care

Watering

In dry spells during the first year; after that rarely needed, except in a pot.

Feeding

A little compost in spring.

Mulch

A layer of leaf mould keeps the soil under trees moist.

Berries

Leave them: they colour the shrub all winter, but keep an eye on small children.

Tip: A variegated spotted laurel lights up a dark corner like a lamp: put it against a wall in the shade or under trees, not in the sun.

Spotted laurel: when to prune it?

Pruning months: April–May.

When: In April–May.

How:

• Cut overlong branches back with secateurs to just above a leaf: leaves cut through with hedge shears turn brown at the edges.
• A shrub that has grown too big or bare can be cut back hard; it sprouts again from old wood.
• Prune female plants sparingly: every branch you remove will bear no more berries.

Caution: April–May falls in the nesting season: check for nesting birds in the shrub before you prune.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Cuttings

Semi-ripe cuttings of 10–15 cm root readily in late summer in a pot under glass or plastic. A cutting is male or female, like its parent plant.

Spotted laurel: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy throughout Belgium: no protection needed.

• Hardy in Belgium and the Netherlands.
• In hard frost, leaves and shoot tips may turn black; cut them off in April and the shrub will sprout again.
• On female plants the red berries last all winter.

Diseases and pests

• Scorched leaves: Brown or black patches on the leaves in full sun. Move it to a shadier spot.
• Black shoot tips: After hard frost or on wet soil, shoot tips and leaves turn black. Cut them off and make sure the soil drains well.
• No berries: Only female plants bear berries, and then only with a male nearby.

Through the year

• January: Red berries on female plants.
• March: Flowering: small purplish-brown flowers.
• April: Prune; cut off frost damage; plant.
• May: Last pruning month; plant.
• August: Take semi-ripe cuttings.
• September: Plant root-balled or pot-grown plants.
• November: The berries turn red.

What can you use it for?

Garden and landscape

Tough evergreen shrub for deep shade, even under trees and in town gardens.

Caution: The berries and leaves are poisonous.

Did you know?

• The first shrubs in Europe were all female and never bore berries; only when plant hunter Robert Fortune brought male plants from Japan around 1860 did the red berries appear.
• In the 19th century it became a favourite of town gardens: it put up with soot, smoke and shade.