Mail order plants from Junker's Nursery

Prunus laurocerasus - “Laurel”

This is about as common as it comes, but we haven't gone totally mad including it here. It is often dismissed as a boring plant only fit for unimaginative amenity car parks, but I can’t completely agree. For sure it can get a bit out of control if left to its own devices for too long, but it can be an amazingly useful plant for those struggling with new, open and exposed gardens on poor or heavy soil.

It is hard to beat for a utilitarian windbreak or screen. We are using it in this manner, and as a backdrop for our winter garden to show off other plants like our wonderful Silver Birch and winter flowers adorning naked stems. It will grow in any soil and adequately rapidly make a good size hedge or bush. Simply put, it will grow just about anywhere but I cannot argue that it is sometimes too big. Fortunately we have carefully selected a range of cultivars to cover almost every eventuality. The smaller forms are perfect for giving low down winter protection in the border or woodland without risk of it taking over. The spikes of white flowers in summer are an added bonus.

	PRUNUS laurocerasus This is about as common as it comes, but we haven't gone totally mad including it here. It is hard to beat for a utilitarian windbreak or screen. We are using it in this manner, and as a backdrop for our winter garden to really show off thus flowers and naked stems. It will grow in any soil and adequately rapidly make a good size hedge or bush. Expect approx 3m in 10 years even in difficult conditions.

	PRUNUS laurocerasus 'Green Marble' Irregular white markings brighten up the green leaves. Very tolerant of shade and "difficult" sites! Dense large shrub to 2-3m.

	PRUNUS laurocerasus 'Miky' Our smallest, growing only to 1m with comparatively small and narrow, rich deep glossy green leaves and tidy compact habit. This is a superb plant with so many uses - it can be used as a semi-formal evergreen in the same way as a Box ball for example, or as evergreen low-level protection or screening in the border.

	PRUNUS laurocerasus 'Reynvaanii' This is a large growing cultivar, but of dense and tidy habit, forming a very symmetrical conical shape without the need for clipping. Excellent in both formal gardens for accent or in woodlands and borders. To 2.5m

	PRUNUS laurocerasus 'Taff’s Golden Gleam' Another gem from the garden of Steven Taffler! A splendid evergreen with bright yellow variegation. Best in dappled shade where it brightens up the darkest corner!

	PRUNUS laurocerasus 'van Ness' Another low grower, this one to 1.5m but broader in habit and extremely free flowering. Great contrast between the dense spikes of white flowers and deep green leaves.

	PRUNUS rufa This "Himalayan Cherry" forms a small tree giving clusters of pale pink flowers in spring. It's surprising feature is its wonderful amber-brown peeling bark.

	PRUNUS serrula Tibetan Cherry - with amazing polished cinnamon coloured bark. These are our own cutting grown plants so they will not have an unsightly graft union or future incompatibility or suckering problems. Exciting therefore.

	PRUNUS tenella 'Firehill' This "Dwarf Russian Almond" is one of the most sought after of all flowering shrubs. The upright stems are clothed in masses of bright, double pink flowers in March-April. Please note that these plants are grown from cuttings or divisions; this means that they can perform to their best, forming a dense bush of suckers approx. 1m tall. Some people sell grafted plants. These will also sucker profusely, but the suckers will be of a wild cherry and have to be continually removed to prevent them from swamping the plant.