I Was Wondering If My Laurel Bush Will Kill My…
Pat Asked
I was wondering if my laurel bush will kill my aborvitae by touching it?
The Gardener’s Answer
Hello, Pat in Oregon: It is true that some plants are toxic to one another. These plants are referred to as allelopathic. They release chemicals that inhibit other plant species from thriving in the same environment. The most common allelopathic plant is the black walnut. It releases a specific chemical that directly affects plants in the nightshade family, including peppers, tomatoes, and eggplant. As for the laurel you are growing, there are a few different plants commonly referred to as laurels: bay laurel (Laurus nobilis), mountain laurel (Kalmia latifolia), and English laurel (Prunus laurocerasus). The bay laurel is a culinary herb and the other two are nonedible shrubs. The berries on a bay laurel are poisonous but the foliage is used for culinary purposes. The mountain laurel is poisonous if ingested, and English laurel is also poisonous if ingested. As far as I know none of these laurels are considered allelopathic. Is your arborvitae showing signs of stress? If so, you can take a sample to your Extension service for analysis, or I would be happy to give you possibilities if you can give me specifics in terms of the appearance of your evergreen.
