Portuguese Laurel (Prunus lusitanica ‘Angustifolia’)
Price range: €25.00 through €325.00 inc VAT
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AVAILABLE OCTOBER TO APRIL
MINIMUM ORDER QUANTITY 10
Latin Name: Prunus lusitanica ‘Angustifolia’
Common Name: Portuguese cherry laurel, Portugal laurel
Origin: Native to Portugal, Spain, Western France, Morocco, Madeira and Canary Islands
Hardiness: Fully Hardy. Will survive unprotected outdoors in most areas of the UK, even in the harshest winters.
Growth: Medium. Expect to see moderate growth during growing season. 12m The plant’s ultimate height in typical growing conditions.
Sun: Full Sun to Part Shade. Enjoys direct sun most of the day, but tolerant of fewer sunlit hours or light dappling.
AVAILABLE OCTOBER TO APRIL
MINIMUM ORDER QUANTITY 10
Latin Name: Prunus lusitanica ‘Angustifolia’
Common Name: Portuguese cherry laurel, Portugal laurel
Origin: Native to Portugal, Spain, Western France, Morocco, Madeira and Canary Islands
Hardiness: Fully Hardy. Will survive unprotected outdoors in most areas of the UK, even in the harshest winters.
Growth: Medium. Expect to see moderate growth during growing season. 12m The plant's ultimate height in typical growing conditions.
Sun: Full Sun to Part Shade. Enjoys direct sun most of the day, but tolerant of fewer sunlit hours or light dappling.
Exposure/Position: Good wind tolerance and good in all situations other than at the coast
Soil: Moist but Well Drained. Soil that allows water to drain at a moderate rate, without the water pooling.
Moisture: Medium. Once it is established, this plant is likely to only require watering during drier periods.
Habit: Bushy. 8m The plant's ultimate spread in typical growing conditions.
Foliage: Evergreen. Always in leaf throughout the year. It won't lose all its leaves at any one time.
Maintenance: Moderate. Some special care needed, which may include pruning or winter protection.
Feed: Regularly once a fortnight with a balanced fertilizer between May to October (link here to sundries and options)
How many plants do I need?
80-100cm: 3 plants per metre
100-125cm: 3 plants per metre
125-150cm: 2 plants per metre
150-175cm: 2 plants per metre
175-200cm: 2 plants per metre
200-225cm: 2 plants per metre
225-250cm: 2 plants per metre
250-300cm: 1 plant per metre
300-325cm: 1 plant per metre
Planting
Beautiful bushy plants grown in our fields for several years, they are lifted in season (October-Early May) with the immediate root ball which is wrapped in hessian for protection. Strong plants giving instant impact at moderate cost.
Portuguese laurel is the toughest and hardiest variety of Laurel, more so than Cherry Laurels and so we often recommend this variety for hedges in colder and more exposed situations. (Even then providing a little extra protection using windbreak netting is a good idea to begin with in harsh conditions).
Root ball hedging plants are larger and older plants that have been grown at an extra wide spacing in our fields for several years while being regularly trimmed to keep them bushy. These Portugal Laurel hedging plants are lifted and delivered fresh to you during the dormant season from October until early May, the correct time for planting. They will arrive complete with the immediate soil and root system which is wrapped in hessian mesh to protect it, the hessian should be left on when you plant.
Aftercare
While many advise trimming Laurel hedging plants with secateurs so you can avoid leaving half-cut leaves, it really isn’t necessary. You can just as easily use shears or a hedge trimmer – the cut edges will heal and cover with new growth quickly, especially if trimming is carried out in the Spring. It trims beautifully with a hedge trimmer or shears to give a neat tidy finish.
Untrimmed plants will produce candle-like clusters of small white scented flowers that rise up from the foliage in early summer. These will develop into small red fruits, eventually ripen to dark purple and are very popular with the birds.
Here at Prime Hedges we either use a clean, sharp pair of secateurs, or sharp hedge trimmers. Hedge trimmers are of course faster! However, you may find aesthetically you prefer to use secateurs – not to avoid damage to the plant – simply to avoid the brown ‘bruising’ that can occur on leaf edges cut with a hedge cutter.
After cutting away anything dead, damaged or diseased, focus on trying to ensure that sunlight can reach the centre of the plant – if you do that, you can’t go wrong!
