Prunus laurocerasus Genolia - Cherry Laurel

Prunus laurocerasus 'Genolia' is a variety selected for its great ability to resist cold and snow. It is distinguished by rapid growth and a tall and compact habit, naturally forming a narrow, dense column. It is an evergreen bush with large, glossy, oval, and narrow leaves of a beautiful dark green colour. It is an ideal choice for quickly creating green curtains that structure the garden and protect against visibility and winds throughout the year. Robust and vigorous in all exposures and in all soils that are not too heavy, dry, or calcareous.

Originally from Southeast Europe and Asia Minor, native to Iran, the Caucasus, and Turkey, the Cherry Laurel, sometimes called Trabzon Laurel, almond laurel, or palm laurel, is an evergreen bush of the Rosaceae family. They are evergreen bushes that are quite hardy and easy to grow in ordinary soil, not demanding in terms of exposure and tolerant of pruning. It also tolerates sea spray and pollution. For soils with a tendency to be calcareous, choose varieties of Portuguese laurel. The cultivar 'Genolia' is distinguished in particular by a naturally upright habit and an uncommon adaptation to harsh winters. Fast-growing, it will reach a height of 3.5 m (9.8 ft) and a width of 1 m (3.3 ft). Hardy down to -20 °C (-4 °F), its foliage consists of large, oval, narrow, 15 to 18 cm (5.9 to 7.1 in) long, leathery leaves, with a shiny green colour, more or less intense depending on the nature of the soil. In calcareous soil, it will tend towards light green, in acidic soil, towards dark green. The lamina is shiny on the upper side, lighter and duller on the underside, and is very decorative. In spring, upright clusters of 8 to 12 cm (3.1 to 4.7 in) in length appear at the ends of the shoots. These clusters are covered with tiny white flowers that are slightly fragrant and are attractive to bees. In summer, the flowers give way to small ovoid fruits, 8 to 10 mm (0.31 to 0.4 in) wide, which are initially green before turning red-black. The berries are toxic to humans but are sought after by birds that spread the seeds. Consider this for the creation of interesting bocages to promote beneficial fauna for the ecological balance of the garden.

Cherry Laurel is one of the most commonly used shrubs for creating screen hedges. It has all the qualities required to excel in the functions of trimmed hedges, both low and high. Fast-growing and upright, the variety 'Genolia' is particularly suitable for the construction of privacy and windbreak hedges. Whether left untrimmed or pruned, it requires very little pruning to form structural boundaries that are decorative, long-lasting, and impenetrable. For hedge planting, make sure to space each plant 80 cm (31.5 in) to 1 m (3.3 ft) apart. The palm laurel deserves better than repeated pruning that mutilates its foliage and suppresses its charming flowering: it looks good in a free hedge, with other evergreens (for example, Elaeagnus ebbingei, Viburnum tinus, Rhamnus alaternus, Arbutus unedo, Photinia, Taxus (x) media, Pyracantha, holly), or in a mixed bed with deciduous subjects where it will provide the colour they lack during the off-season. If the fruits develop to maturity, they will give rise to many young plants inside or outside the garden.

Attention: The leaves, and all parts of the cherry laurel are toxic if ingested, except for the pulp of the fruit (the stone is toxic). They contain prussic acid (hydrocyanic acid), associated with an aromatic substance called benzaldehyde, with the smell of bitter almonds. A principle that is also found in the almonds of apricot and peach stones, for example.