# Poisonous landscape plants -- Carolina cherry laurel



## Dallas Goldens (Sep 20, 2019)

My neighbors planted Carolina cherry laurels (prunus caroliniana) along the fence between our yards. The plants are now about 15 feet tall and branches extend about 6 to 8 feet over the fence. The blue-black fruits (cherries? berries?) drop to the ground in my yard. All parts of the plant are supposed to be poisonous to dogs. I have a 17-month old Golden Retriever. I'm wondering how concerned I should be about these cherry laurels extending into my yard where they can drop leaves and fruit. Should I trim/prune these plants back so that the plants don't extend over the fence and into my yard? Does anyone have any experience with dogs and cherry laurels?


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## Dunmar (Apr 15, 2020)

If they are poisonous, you bet i would prune them back


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## CAROLINA MOM (May 12, 2009)

I don't have any experience with this plant but I did find the following info on this site:






Cherry Is Toxic To Dogs | Pet Poison Helpline


Cherry Is Toxic To Dogs Clinical signs are agitation, aggression, vomiting, diarrhea, drooling, tremors, & respiratory or cardiovascular depression.




www.petpoisonhelpline.com





"Cherry trees and shrubs (_Prunus_ sp) including the Choke cherry, Black cherry and cherry laurel contain cyanogenic glycosides. All parts of these plants other than the ripe pulp around the seeds are considered toxic and contain cyanide. Cyanide inhibits cytochrome oxidase, an enzyme necessary for cellular oxygen transport, preventing appropriate oxygen uptake by cells. When ingested in toxic amounts, clinical signs of dilated pupils, difficulty breathing, inadequate oxygen levels, bright red gums, shock, and death can be seen. "

I would talk to your neighbor about cutting them back and explain they are toxic to dogs. 

I check with my neighbors first, but if they don't cut back trees or bushes that cross over onto my property, I cut them back.


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## SoCalEngr (Apr 11, 2020)

I would consider asking about a "joint venture" to replace these with something non-toxic to pets. Hopefully, y'all are on good terms, and it's not like they deliberately planted these to take out your golden.

We just recently had to remove some oleanders from our backyard...and they were some of the shrubs that were "_doing the best_". When we planted them, we weren't thinking "_dog_", but...


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

Before starting wars with your neighbors, might want to just keep an eye on your dogs when they are outside?

People need to keep in mind that much of the poisonous stuff in their yards.... has something about it that makes it very blech for the dogs - which discourages them from eating those items. The rest is not leaving your dogs out there to graze randomly on random items? 

Our property is too heavily shaded for cherry trees now (BOOO!), but when we had cherry trees - the dogs left them alone.

I have a struggling grapevine out back (struggling because of the shade) and only concern with the dogs is them peeing on it....

My guys just eat grass when they are outside. I've watched them eating long sweet grass that grows around our daylily and iris patches... and they completely avoid taking a bite of the daylily or irises leaves, flowers, etc.


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## Harttt (Oct 6, 2021)

I didn't know that Carolina cherry laurels are harmful to animals, especially dogs. Thanks for posting; it is a warning to me. It's an alarm signal for me because I have a small tree in the yard, but it still doesn't bear fruit. The solution I want to apply may be right for you. I'm thinking of fencing that tree with a particular net. It will be like a wall that will keep the fruit in a restricted territory. I will contact some specialists in-home personalized landscaping services who perform this work.


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## cihatank (Oct 28, 2021)

I think you should talk to your neighbors and discuss with them ways to solve the problem in a friendly manner. They obviously didn't think about the fact that their plants could harm their neighbors. When I was planting plants in my garden, I turned to professional landscape designers who advised me not to plant tall plants at the fence so as not to disturb the neighbors. As a result, we have a beautiful garden and it does not bother anyone. I would advise you to talk to your neighbors and discuss options for possible transplanting of these plants.


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