Our garden

Bonsai, garden trees, houseplants and the odd volunteer seedling.

This is our little online catalogue of everything growing in our garden, made for friends and family. It's a work in progress, and there's always something new going in.

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Trees & shrubs
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Cherry laurel
Repotted, about 80% lighter, 5 Oct 2026

Cherry laurel

Prunus laurocerasus

A tall young cherry laurel with glossy, finely toothed leaves on pale green stems. Prune with secateurs rather than shears, which leave every cut leaf browning.

Arrived in a pot of heavy clay with a lot of dead root. Cleared out, tidied and repotted into compost and bark in October 2026.

Common name
Cherry laurel
Section
Trees & shrubs
Spot
Patio (for now)
Soil
Compost and bark mix, with some of the old clay left round the core
Options
Bonsai · Plant out

Bonsai

An experimental larger design; the broad leaves make small bonsai forms less convincing.

From
A local nursery (old stock), Oct 2026
Age
About 3 years (best guess)
Next repot
Around Oct 2027
Edible
❌ No: every part is poisonous.
Hardy
✅ Fully
Garden-centre price
about £15
Did you know?

Crushed leaves release cyanide; Victorian insect collectors used them in their killing jars.

Care & updates

Next root check
Apr 2027
  1. Repotted

    The pot turned out to be almost solid clay, still dry in the middle after a three-hour soak. Clay cleared from the bottom up until roots appeared, dead root clipped back to live growth, two larger side roots kept. No taproot found. Some clay left round the core rather than going fully bare-root in October. Repotted into compost and bark, about 80% lighter.

    Clay, mostly
    Clay, mostly
    Washing the clay out
    Washing the clay out
    The aftermath
    The aftermath
  2. Observation

    Nursery-stock check: scratch-tested alive and shooting.

Root records (3)
  • Root ballView larger, with details
    Poor: a pot of clay

    Heavy clay holding the shape of the pot, a few roots on the outside and very little else growing in it. Dry at the centre after three hours soaking.

  • Root ballView larger, with details
    Dead root clipped back

    Roots found once the lower clay was off. A lot of it dead; clipped back as far as small live root, then stopped.

  • Root ballView larger, with details
    Reduced; live root kept

    After the tidy: two larger side roots and the live fine root kept, some clay left round the core. No taproot found.

All root records →

🎮
Mega Drive moment Olympic Gold (Mega Drive)

Laurels for the winners. Technically a different laurel.

Look it up →