Prunus Novita Hedging
Price range: £15.00 through £225.00
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Description
Quick Facts
- Common Name: Cherry Laurel ‘Novita’, Novita Laurel
- Botanical Name: Prunus laurocerasus ‘Novita’
- Plant Type: Evergreen hedging shrub
- Mature Height: 3-4 metres (can be maintained lower)
- Mature Spread: 2-3 metres
- Flowering Period: April-May
- Flower Colour: Creamy white spikes
- Foliage: Large, glossy dark green leaves
- Hardiness: RHS H5 (-15°C to -10°C)
- Soil Requirements: Any well-drained soil, tolerates most conditions
- Aspect: Full sun to deep shade
- Maintenance: Low
Description
Meet the aristocrat of British hedging – Prunus Novita, a superior cherry laurel that brings both elegance and unwavering reliability to the garden boundary. With leaves that gleam like polished emeralds even in the depths of winter, this magnificent evergreen creates the most luxurious backdrop for any UK garden, whilst providing year-round privacy and shelter from our winds.
The secret to Novita’s popularity lies in its exceptional vigour and adaptability. Unlike its more temperamental cousins, this robust cultivar thrives in virtually any soil condition, from heavy clay to sandy loam, and tolerates everything from blazing summer sun to the deepest woodland shade. Its large, lustrous leaves create an impenetrable screen that remains beautiful throughout our unpredictable seasons.
Come late spring, Novita rewards the patient gardener with magnificent displays of fragrant, creamy white flower spikes that emerge like candles against the dark foliage. These blooms attract beneficial insects whilst filling the air with their sweet perfume, before giving way to small black berries that provide winter sustenance for Irish wildlife.
This is hedging with heritage – cherry laurels have graced Irish estates for centuries, and Novita represents the finest breeding of this noble lineage. Its rapid growth and dense habit make it ideal for creating instant impact, whilst its tolerance of hard pruning means it can be shaped to any desired height or form. Whether creating formal boundaries, windbreaks, or woodland screens, Novita delivers both beauty and function with unmatched reliability.
Caragh’s Garden Notebook
Plant Novita in autumn or spring, spacing plants 60-80cm apart for a dense hedge or 1-1.2 metres for a more relaxed screen. Dig generous planting holes twice the width of the root ball and incorporate well-rotted compost to give young plants the best start. Water thoroughly after planting and apply a thick mulch to suppress weeds and retain moisture.
For formal hedging, trim twice yearly – once in late spring after flowering and again in late summer. This timing preserves the flower display whilst maintaining shape. Novita responds beautifully to hard pruning if renovation is needed, making it ideal for inherited gardens with overgrown boundaries.
Feed annually in early spring with a balanced fertiliser, particularly in the first few years when establishing. Whilst remarkably drought-tolerant once established, regular watering during dry spells will reward you with lusher growth and deeper green colouring. In exposed coastal locations, Novita’s salt tolerance makes it an excellent choice for seaside gardens.
Additional information
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