Portuguese Laurel - Prunus lusitanica
Portuguese Laurel hedging (sometimes also called Portugal Laurel) Prunus lusitanica) is probbaly more elegant than common laurel. Portuguese Laurel differs from the Common or Cherry Laurel in several aspects. It has smaller leaves - which makes it easier to trim your hedge neatly - and its pretty red stalks and pink tinged new growth stand out against the dark green, glossy mature foliage. Like most Laurels, it grows happily in both full sun and dense shade, perfect for problem areas, but unlike the others, Portuguese Laurel also grows freely on chalky soils.
If it is not trimmed hard, Prunus lusitanica will produce small white flowers in June, which rise up in cone shaped racemes and give off a fine scent, similar to hawthorn. The flowers are followed by inedible berries that turn from red to purple - Portuguese Laurel berries are poisonous so it is fortunate that they taste awful. It is more drought resistant than other laurels and despite its temperate name, it also hardier. As with all laurel, Portuguese Laurel provides excellent winter cover for birds and game.
Laurels are pollution resistant and their thick leaves are better at blocking sound and light than many other hedges, so they are a top choice for shielding your garden from road noise - they are a first rate wind break for the same reason. A Portuguese Laurel would also make a good choice as a shrub or tree in difficult spots in the shade of a wall or a larger tree. Laurels originate from the Western Mediterranean area and parts of North Africa, but they are amazingly hardy and can stand anything a British winter can throw at them.
If you would prefer a Laurel with bigger leaves and lighter foliage, please have look at our
Cherry Laurel.
Portuguese Laurel hedging plants should be planted in a single row at 3 per metre, about 50 centimetres apart. Your plants will arrive well branched and bushy, so they will not need pruning in their first year.
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