Is Cherry Laurel deer resistant?
Prunus laurocerasus
Plant typeShrubHardinessZones 6–8LightPart shade
Mature height120–240 in
BloomSpringMaintenanceModerate
Toxic to cats and dogs if eaten
About Cherry Laurel
Fast dense evergreen screening, and it takes hard clipping. The leaves contain cyanogenic compounds, which is why deer avoid it and why clippings should never go near livestock.
Soil and care
- Soil pH
- 5.5 to 7.5
- Drainage
- Well drained
- Water
- Moderate
- Spacing
- 71 to 118 in apart
- Growth rate
- Fast
- Maintenance
- Moderate
Tolerances and uses
- Evergreen
Similar to Cherry Laurel
Other shrubs with the same deer rating.
- Antelope BitterbrushPurshia tridentataSeldom damaged
- Anthony Waterer SpireaSpiraea x bumaldaZones 3–8Seldom damaged
- Apache PlumeFallugia paradoxaZones 6–10Seldom damaged
- Armstrong JuniperJuniperus chinensis 'Armstrongii'Zones 4–9Seldom damaged
- Autumn OliveElaeagnus umbellataZones 4–9Seldom damaged
- Autumn SageSalvia greggiiZones 6–9Seldom damaged
Where Cherry Laurel grows
Hardy across most of these 45 states on zone range alone. Mountain and coastal areas sit outside the ranges used here, so check your own zone before ordering.
- Pennsylvania
- New Jersey
- New York
- Connecticut
- Massachusetts
- Virginia
- Maryland
- Michigan
- Ohio
- Indiana
- Illinois
- Missouri
- North Carolina
- Tennessee
- Georgia
- Texas
- Colorado
- California
- Oregon
- Washington
- New Hampshire
- Maine
- Rhode Island
- Delaware
- West Virginia
- Kentucky
- South Carolina
- Florida
- Alabama
- Mississippi
- Louisiana
- Arkansas
- Oklahoma
- Kansas
- Nebraska
- Iowa
- Montana
- Wyoming
- Idaho
- Utah
- Nevada
- Arizona
- New Mexico
- Alaska
- District of Columbia
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Every list Cherry Laurel belongs to.
Hardy in these zones
Common questions about Cherry Laurel
- Is Cherry Laurel deer resistant?
- Cherry Laurel (Prunus laurocerasus) is rated Seldom Severely Damaged on the Rutgers NJAES four-tier scale. Light browsing at worst; rarely ruined.
- What hardiness zones does Cherry Laurel grow in?
- Cherry Laurel is hardy in USDA zones 6 to 8. Outside that range it will either not survive winter or will struggle with summer heat.
- Does Cherry Laurel grow in shade?
- Yes. Cherry Laurel tolerates part shade, which makes it one of the options for a shaded bed where deer also browse.
- How big does Cherry Laurel get?
- Mature height is roughly 120–240 in. Growth rate is fast.
- Is Cherry Laurel toxic to dogs or cats?
- Yes. The ASPCA lists Cherry Laurel as toxic to dogs, cats, and horses. Site it away from where animals graze, or choose something else if you have a dog that chews.