Portuguese Laurel trained as a tree rather than a hedge — a clean single stem topped with a dense, glossy evergreen head. Hardy, tolerant of clipping and happy in most soils, it is one of the most reliable evergreens for year-round structure.
Sold in several sizes — tell us what you need and we’ll confirm price and availability.
Prunus lusitanica is the workhorse evergreen of British planting schemes, and it takes to training as a tree exceptionally well. The dark, glossy leaves are carried on distinctive deep red stems, and the plant holds a crisp outline with only one or two cuts a year — far less demanding than a clipped box or yew of the same size.
A standard gives you a clear stem with a rounded head, ideal as a repeated accent down a drive or either side of an entrance. A half standard is the same idea on a shorter stem, which suits smaller gardens and courtyards. Pleached plants are trained flat onto a frame to give an instant evergreen screen above fence height — the usual answer to being overlooked where there is no room for a hedge.
Portuguese Laurel is happy in sun or partial shade and copes with exposure and most soils provided they drain. Water well through the first two summers while the roots establish. Clip once in late spring and again in late summer for a tight outline; pleached plants need their new growth tied in to the frame as it extends.
Every plant we sell is backed by four decades of growing. Tell us about your garden and we’ll tell you honestly whether this is the right plant for it.
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