Prunus lusitanica , Portugese laurel rootball
Prunus lusitanica , Portugese laurel rootball
Prunus lusitanica – Portuguese Laurel Rootball
Prunus lusitanica (Portuguese Laurel) is the connoisseur's choice for creating elegant, evergreen hedges with refined character and year-round appeal. This premium rootball-grown plant offers a more sophisticated alternative to common Cherry Laurel, with smaller, darker leaves and a naturally dense habit that creates exceptionally handsome formal hedges.
In early summer, fragrant white flower spikes emerge like delicate candles, filling the air with their sweet scent before developing into small purple-black berries that attract birds in autumn. Hedging with genuine character and seasonal interest.
Key Features
- Elegant evergreen with dark, glossy foliage
- Distinctive red stems add year-round interest
- Fragrant white flowers in early summer
- Excellent for formal hedging and topiary
- Rootball-grown for superior establishment
Why Choose Portuguese Laurel?
- More refined appearance than Cherry Laurel
- Naturally dense growth creates superior hedges
- Excellent wind and pollution tolerance
- Ideal for coastal and exposed gardens
- Responds beautifully to formal clipping
Growing Conditions
Thrives in full sun to partial shade with any well-drained soil. Exceptionally hardy to -15°C and tolerant of exposed, coastal, and urban conditions. Responds excellently to trimming, creating dense, formal hedges with a refined appearance that improves with age.
Garden Design & Uses
Perfect for creating elegant boundary hedges, formal garden divisions, windbreaks in exposed locations, or as clipped topiary specimens.
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Planting Instructions
Portuguese Laurel rootballs are best planted between October and March. Dig a hole twice the width of the rootball and to the same depth. Place the rootball so the top is level with the surrounding soil — avoid planting too deep.
For hedging, space plants 60–90cm apart. Backfill with a mixture of excavated soil and organic compost, firm in well, and water thoroughly. Apply a 5–8cm mulch of bark or compost around the base, keeping it clear of the stem.
Rootball plants establish quickly when planted correctly. Water regularly through the first growing season, particularly during dry spells. Trim lightly in late summer to shape; avoid hard pruning in the first year.
Size & Specification
Supplied as rootball-grown specimens, lifted and wrapped for transplanting. Available in two sizes: 1m to 1.2m (established rootball, ideal for instant impact hedging) and 1.2m to 1.5m (larger specimen for near-instant privacy screening).
Ultimate height 4 to 6m when left unclipped. Hardy to -15°C (RHS H6). Suitable for all UK conditions including exposed and coastal sites.
Delivery & Dispatch
Rootball specimens are dispatched on a pallet delivery service due to their size and weight. Delivery is to kerbside; please ensure suitable access for a pallet vehicle.
Typically dispatched within 3–5 working days of ordering, subject to availability. You will receive tracking information once your order has been collected. Delivery is to mainland UK addresses only.
Rootball plants are lifted and despatched during the dormant season (October to March). Orders placed outside this window will be fulfilled at the start of the next planting season.
Wildlife & Ecological Notes
Portuguese Laurel provides excellent year-round wildlife value. The dense evergreen canopy offers prime nesting habitat and winter shelter for garden birds and small mammals.
Fragrant white flower spikes in early summer are highly attractive to bees and other pollinators. The small purple-black berries that follow in autumn are a valued food source for thrushes, blackbirds, and starlings.
A superior choice to Cherry Laurel for wildlife-friendly formal hedging — combining elegance with genuine ecological benefit.