Prunus laurocerasus 'ANI' Cherry laurel, common laurel, English laurel

Ani is a Hungarian cherry laurel bred by Dr. Jozsa Miklos in order to achieve hardy and compact varieties suitable for cold winters of Central And Eastern Europe as well as resistant to summer heat and drought. Ani looks a bit like Etna variety because its new leaves also emerge bronze red in spring but Ani keeps its red shades for longer before they mature to fresh green in summer. They are evergreen, leathery, deeply veined, and highly glossy. The plant exhibits a very dense habit ideal for hedging and grows some 25-30 cm per year into a rounded shrub. It was awarded bronze medal at Plantarium 2013, a leading European trade fair of novelties.

Cherry laurels have compound inflorescence made out of small, white, fragrant flowers that appear in April and May. They are followed by very ornamental fruits which, as recent studies confirmed, are not poisonous. Only seeds from unripe fruit if properly chewed may cause discomfort as they contain the same toxin like bitter almonds (source: Plants For A Future - www.pfaf.org). If you want to prune it, do so in mid spring before new leaves emerge or in mid summer.

Laurels need slightly deep and fertile, acidic, moist soil, and extra watering in frost-free periods in winter to prevent from drying out before the ground gets frozen. It will thrive in full sun or part shade, and will also tolerate being grown in full shade. It seldom suffers from chlorosis (leaves turning yellow owing to lack of iron in the soil) but when it does use a special liquid soil pH balancer to keep it acidic which will help the plant absorb iron. The breeder claims extreme hardiness to -30°C (USDA zone 5) without any injury.

Last update 15-05-2019