This is not a true Laurel species and it is not quite from England. This is a cultivar of the Common Cherrylaurel that is native to southeast Europe and Asia Minor. This "Skip" Cherrylaurel is the taller, upright form that is commonly planted in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania region, while the 'Otto Luyken' cultivar is the shorter, bushier, often sort of rounded form also planted a lot in the region. It gets about 6 to 10 feet high and not quite as wide. It is an expensive broadleaf evergreen that is bought by more well-to-do customers. I see it mostly at arboretums, estates, professional landscapes, campuses, and in upper middle income to rich neighbourhoods. It is usually used as an evergreen screen, either clipped or allowed to grow more naturally. It usually does well in the Mid-Atlantic unless the soil is really a heavy clay and holding too much wetness.

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