Cherry Laurel House/Fence Distances

jholder95xYhsaccE

Hi,

We're wanting to add a little more privacy along our boundary and was hoping to plant 10 cherry laurels along the fence as shown below. I only want them to grow to 7ft then I'll maintain them.

The centre of each hole to the fence will be around 0.4m and the centre of each hole to the house wall will be around 1.2m.

Will these distances be safe enough? Or will the roots cause damage to the house foundations/fencing?

Thanks in advance!

Elfer

We have Portuguese Laurels along our fence with similar spacing and no problems whatsoever,  cherry Laurel can be a bit of a thug but doubt its shallow roots can be a bother to buildings.

jholder95xYhsaccE

Elfer said:

We have Portuguese Laurels along our fence with similar spacing and no problems whatsoever,  cherry Laurel can be a bit of a thug but doubt its shallow roots can be a bother to buildings.

Thanks Elfer, you've put my mind at ease a little! Will be planting them this weekend.

Ergates

That’s quite a narrow space. I think you’d really struggle to allow cherry laurels to grow to 7 foot without encroaching onto the path. It might be a constant struggle. They can get to be very big, we have hundreds of metres of laurel hedging, and every plant wants to grow as wide as it is tall! And the leaves are very big.
Portuguese laurels have smaller denser leaves, and might be a better option?
Or grisellinia littoralis, see photo.

Fairygirl

I would agree with @Ergates. That's a very narrow space for cherry laurel. You'll end up constantly pruning back, and that means having a lot of exposed branches and trunks, rather than greenery.
I'd plant a more well behaved hedging shrub there - those already suggested, or even privet would be easier to maintain, and won't get thuggish.  Many Viburnums and Osmanthus would also be fine if there's some shade, or Eleagnus. Escallonia too if it's sunnier, although generally, they'll take some shade too.
Beech or Hornbeam can be kept tight too, and although they aren't evergreen, they retain their foliage over winter at the height you'll want to keep them. Up to around ten or twelve feet is fine. 

steephill

If the aim is to increase privacy by providing cover above the fence I would suggest pleached hornbeam with the foliage starting at fence height. Cherry laurel would be well down my list of suitable plants for a space like that.