Cherry laurel 'Otto Luyken'
Prunus laurocerasus 'Otto Luyken' · Rosaceae
A low, wide-spreading evergreen with narrow, glossy, dark leaves held at an upward angle, and upright spikes of white flowers in spring. It grows in deep shade.
- Size
- 3½ ft tall, 6½ ft wide
- Zones
- 6 to 8
- Light
- Full sun to shade
- Flowers
- Late April to mid May
- Pets
- Toxic (severe)
- Job in a bed
- Anchor
A bed built around cherry laurel 'Otto Luyken'
The planner designed this bed around cherry laurel 'Otto Luyken' when this page was made: a 16 × 8 ft (4.9 × 2.4 m) cottage garden in zone 6, part sun. It chose the other plants from the 708 that suit those conditions, and says below why cherry laurel 'Otto Luyken' stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Cherry laurel 'Otto Luyken' × 1, white
- 2 Striped bloody cranesbill × 4, pink
- 3 Bellflower 'Dickson's Gold' × 22, blue
- 4 Feather reed grass 'Avalanche' × 3, tan
- 5 White mugwort × 3, cream
- 6 Columbine meadow rue × 3, lavender
- 7 Polyanthus primrose × 30, yellow
- 8 Camassia × 6, blue
- 9 Double snowdrop × 12, white
- 10 Easter lily × 6, white
Why this plant
- Part of the bed's structure. Shrubs and grasses keep their shape when the perennials die down. So does feather reed grass 'Avalanche'.
Why here
- At the back. At 3½ ft it is seen over Easter lily (3 ft) in front of it, and has nothing behind it to hide.
- A step in the back row. Next to columbine meadow rue (3 ft) and feather reed grass 'Avalanche' (5 ft): no two neighbours there are the same height, so the back steps up and down like a skyline.
- One plant, alone. A shrub is seen as an object, and needs clear ground around it.
Why now
- In flower for four weeks. From late April to mid May.
- In company. With polyanthus primrose and camassia in mid May: 3 kinds at once.
- The only leaves in winter. From November to March it is what there is to look at.
Planned as a cottage garden: 57 of the 66 plants (86%), bulbs aside, stand alone or in groups of no more than five, small enough for the kinds to mingle. The bed is tied together by its repeats: three kinds come round again along it, among them bellflower 'Dickson's Gold' and polyanthus primrose. The flowering is at its height from mid June, with 4 kinds out together.
The planner's own design check: 7 Excellent, 10 Good.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where cherry laurel 'Otto Luyken' goes in a border
At 3½ ft it belongs at the back of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is moderately tall (3 to 4 ft).
Its job: anchor. A shrub that gives the bed permanent structure. Planted singly, as soon as the front edge is laid; everything else is arranged around it.
A polished, dark evergreen that tolerates dry shade and root competition. It needs good drainage. Avoid it in the Pacific Northwest, where cherry laurel has invaded forests.
- Evergreen mass planting in shade
- Low hedges
- Under trees
What to plant with cherry laurel 'Otto Luyken'
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Hosta: its green leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; bold leaves against its medium ones; a low mound at the foot of its spires.
- Lenten rose: in flower together for three weeks, from late April; bold leaves against its medium ones; a low mound at the foot of its spires.
- Autumn fern: its dark green leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; low enough (22 in) to stand in front of it.
Questions about cherry laurel 'Otto Luyken'
Does cherry laurel 'Otto Luyken' need sun or shade?
Cherry laurel 'Otto Luyken' grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day), part sun (4 to 6 hours of sun, including some afternoon sun), part shade (2 to 4 hours of sun, mostly in the morning) and shade (less than 2 hours of direct sun, or bright dappled light). It is one of the few that also put up with deep shade.
It wants ordinary well-drained soil, of average fertility, and a good soak in dry spells. Once settled in, it stands drought.
What zones does cherry laurel 'Otto Luyken' grow in?
USDA zones 6 to 8. It is hardy to zone 6, which means it survives winter nights down to about 0 °F (−18 °C).
Above zone 8 it struggles: the zones measure winter cold, but a plant's top zone usually means the summers are too hot or the winters too mild for it to rest.
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does cherry laurel 'Otto Luyken' flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers late April to mid May. As a spring flower it moves about a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer, later where it is colder.
| Zone 6 | Mid April to early May |
|---|---|
| Zone 7 | Mid April to early May |
| Zone 8 | Early April to late April |
Worked out from Hopkins' bioclimatic law: spring arrives about four days later for each degree of latitude north, and one zone is roughly two degrees. A warm spring or a cold one moves any garden two weeks either way.
How far apart should cherry laurel 'Otto Luyken' be planted?
5 ft (150 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 6½ ft (200 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 3½ ft (110 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many cherry laurel 'Otto Luyken' plants do I need?
Usually one. At 5 ft (150 cm) across, it is a plant you place, not one you mass. For a hedge or screen, set them 5 ft apart: three plants for a 10 ft run.
In the bed above, the planner used one in one group.
Is cherry laurel 'Otto Luyken' poisonous to dogs and cats?
Yes: severe toxicity to people, dogs, cats and horses. The leaves, stems and seeds can release cyanide if chewed.
Rated from NC State Extension and the ASPCA. Where references disagree, the more cautious rating is used.
Is there a pet-safe plant like cherry laurel 'Otto Luyken'?
These come closest to doing what cherry laurel 'Otto Luyken' does, and no toxicity is recorded for them:
- Pearlbush 'The Bride': the same job in a bed, the same flowering time and the same colour; 12 in narrower, not evergreen.
- Koreanspice viburnum: the same job in a bed, the same flowering time and the same colour; 16 in taller, 12 in narrower.
- Fothergilla 'Mount Airy': the same job in a bed, the same flowering time and the same colour; 16 in taller, 12 in narrower.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
Do deer eat cherry laurel 'Otto Luyken'?
They may. NC State does not list it as resistant to deer or rabbits. Where they visit, protect it, or plant it among ones they avoid.
Will cherry laurel 'Otto Luyken' spread?
It seeds itself about; the risk of it taking over is moderate. Birds spread the seed, and the species has invaded forests in the Pacific Northwest. Do not plant it there.
What flowers after cherry laurel 'Otto Luyken'?
Cherry laurel 'Otto Luyken' is over by mid May. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- Bearded iris: from late May to mid June, 2½ ft tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
- Oriental poppy: from late May to late June, 2½ ft tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
- Peony: from late May to late June, 3 ft tall.
What does cherry laurel 'Otto Luyken' look like in winter?
Cherry laurel 'Otto Luyken' keeps its dark green leaves all winter, so it is one of the plants that hold a bed together from November to March, when the perennials have gone.
Is cherry laurel 'Otto Luyken' good for bees and butterflies?
Cherry laurel 'Otto Luyken' is visited by pollinators, butterflies and songbirds.
It is a host plant: the caterpillars of eastern tiger swallowtail feed on its leaves. A butterfly can only lay its eggs on its host plants, so these do more for it than any nectar flower.
More Prunus
- Dwarf flowering almond Prunus glandulosa 'Rosea Plena'
- Purple leaf sand cherry Prunus x cistena
- Schip laurel Prunus laurocerasus 'Schipkaensis'
In these guides
- Plants for dry shade
- Plants for deep shade
- Salt-tolerant plants for roadsides and coasts
- Garden plants toxic to cats
- Garden plants toxic to dogs
- Plants for butterflies
- Plants that feed garden birds
- Evergreen shrubs for structure
- Shrubs under 4 feet for small gardens
- Plants with spires: vertical accents
- Plants for a white garden
- Host plants for the eastern tiger swallowtail
Every fact on record
- Type
- Shrub
- Size
- 3½ ft (110 cm) tall, 6½ ft (200 cm) wide
- Plant
- 5 ft (150 cm) apart
- Height class
- Moderately tall (3 to 4 ft)
- Place in the bed
- Back
- Flowers
- Late April to mid May; upright spires; white
- Leaves
- Medium texture, evergreen; dark green
- Shape
- Mounding, self-seeding
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 6 to 8
- Light
- Full sun, part sun, part shade, shade
- Soil
- Average, well-drained
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- Light, in spring
- Family
- Rosaceae
- Comes from
- Europe
- Attracts
- Pollinators, butterflies, songbirds
- Host plant for
- Eastern tiger swallowtail
- Stands up to
- Drought, salt, poor soil, deep shade, pollution
Checked against NC State Extension and ASPCA poison lists. Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.