Schip laurel

Questions about schip laurel

Does schip laurel need sun or shade?

Schip laurel 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.

What zones does schip laurel grow in?

USDA zones 6 to 9. It is hardy to zone 6, which means it survives winter nights down to about 0 °F (−18 °C).

Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.

When does schip laurel flower in my zone?

In zone 5 it flowers late April to early May. As a spring flower it moves about a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer, later where it is colder.

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 schip laurel be planted?

4 ft (120 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 10 ft (300 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.

How many schip laurel plants do I need?

Usually one. At 4 ft (120 cm) across, it is a plant you place, not one you mass. For a hedge or screen, set them 4 ft apart: three plants for a 10 ft run.

In the bed above, the planner used one in one group.

Is schip laurel 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 schip laurel?

These come closest to doing what schip laurel does, and no toxicity is recorded for them:

• Koreanspice viburnum: the same job in a bed, the same flowering time and the same colour; 5 ft shorter, medium leaves, not bold.
• Fothergilla 'Mount Airy': the same job in a bed, the same flowering time and the same colour; 5 ft shorter, medium leaves, not bold.
• Red chokeberry 'Brilliantissima': the same job in a bed, the same flowering time and the same colour; 2½ ft shorter, 8 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 schip laurel?

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.

What flowers after schip laurel?

Schip laurel is over by early May. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:

• Mountain laurel: from late May to late June, 8 ft tall.
• Elderberry 'Black Lace': from early June to late June, 6½ ft tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
• Ninebark 'Diabolo': from late May to late June, 8 ft tall.

What does schip laurel look like in winter?

Schip laurel 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 schip laurel good for bees and butterflies?

Schip laurel 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.