The cherry laurel is a popular hedge plant due to its dense growth and the handsome white flowers. Insects find plenty of nectar here, one would think. Experts advise against planting the shrub in your home garden. On this page you can read about the reasons against the cherry laurel and which plants you do insects a greater favor with.
Bumblebee and bees avoid cherry laurel
The cherry laurel is harmful - but why?
- The seeds are difficult to compost.
- All parts of the plant are poisonous.
- The flowers and fruits are not suitable as food for birds or insects.
Which plants belong in the natural garden?
The cherry laurel inspires above all with its frost hardiness. As a winter-green ornamental shrub, it ensures privacy all year round. Furthermore, numerous breeds are now available. You can also sometimes find the cherry laurel in the nursery as a small shrub. Breeds that are constantly emerging make it easy for you to adapt the planting of the garden to your own taste. Useful animals such as insects are forgotten. After all, pollination of the flowers becomes less important if a new cultivar appears on the market next year.
But that is by no means the only reason why breeds have no place in a natural garden. Their special location requirements make it difficult for insect-friendly plants to develop well. Native insects and bird species often do not tolerate the fruits of the exotic varieties or avoid them. Bumblebees and bees in particular are creatures of habit. They don't even fly to unfamiliar flowers.
The cherry laurel displaces native shrubs that are valuable for insects. Even if exotic plants look beautiful, as a conscious gardener you should better rely on well-known plants.
alternatives
- rowanberry
- hazelnut
The rowanberry is also very suitable as a hedge shrub. With its also white flowers, it is in no way inferior to the cherry laurel. However, the bright orange berries that adorn their foliage in autumn attract numerous species of birds to the garden. The local hazelnut is also a better alternative. The shrub not only benefits birds and insects, but also gives you nutritious nuts in October.