A lot of online planting sites recommend 2-3 feet apart if I want a dense hedge quickly. However, I want my cherry laurels to grow as small trees. I know they can be as tall as 40-50 ft, so how far apart should I plant them?
What shapes will a mature cherry laurel tree look like?
Assuming you mean Prunus laurocerasus and not Prunus rotundifolia, height and spread will be 4-8 metres tall with a spread of 8 metres wide. That means, from the shapes you see in your diagram, it will look most like the 'spreading' one eventually. If you plant more than one, they will need to be a minimum of 8 metres apart so they look like individual large shrubs and don't grow together. Info here https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/13977/Prunus-laurocerasus/Details
