Portuguese laurel (Prunus lusitanica) is what people choose when they want a laurel hedge with a tailored finish. The leaves are smaller, darker and more pointed than cherry laurel, carried on wine-red stems that give the whole hedge a depth of colour no other green hedge has — and because the foliage is finer, it clips into a crisper, more formal line. Think of it as the difference between a good jumper and a good jacket: same warmth, sharper cut.
It’s no delicate ornament, though. Portuguese laurel is actually the hardier of the two laurels — more tolerant of cold winters, chalky and thin soils, and exposed positions — while still growing a healthy 30–45cm a year into a dense evergreen screen. In early summer, established hedges carry slender spikes of small white flowers that bees adore. One trim a year keeps it immaculate.
Every plant below was grown on at our nursery in Whitestake, hardened off outdoors in North West weather. Pot grown stock plants year-round — use the calculator below to work out how many you need for your run.
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PLANTING DISTANCE
Plant Portuguese laurel at 3 per metre for sizes up to about 125cm, or 2 per metre for larger plants — the hedge knits into a solid screen within two to three seasons. Use the calculator below and we'll work out the exact number and cost for your run.
WHY BUY PORTUGUESE LAUREL FROM NEWGATE?
We grow both laurels side by side, so we can show you the difference rather than describe it — come and stand in front of the rows, or send a photo of your garden and we'll give you an honest steer on which suits it better. Order online for UK-wide delivery quoted at checkout, or click and collect seven days a week. Call 01772 612336.
Around 30–45cm a year once established — a touch slower than cherry laurel, which is part of why it holds a crisper clipped shape. Expect a solid 1.8–2m screen within three to four seasons from mid-sized plants.
3 plants per metre for sizes up to about 125cm, or 2 per metre for larger plants. Our hedge calculator works out the exact number for your run.
Cherry laurel is faster, with big glossy bright-green leaves — the quickest route to a tall screen. Portuguese laurel is the refined one: smaller darker leaves on red stems, a neater clipped finish, and better tolerance of cold, wind and poor or chalky soil. If your site is exposed or your taste is formal, choose Portuguese; if speed is everything, choose cherry.
Very — it's the hardier of the two laurels, comfortably handling cold winters, exposed positions and thin or chalky soils that can make cherry laurel look yellow and sulky. It's our recommendation where a laurel hedge has to face real weather.
Like cherry laurel and many garden plants, yes — the leaves and berries are toxic if eaten, so it's one to avoid if your dog is a determined chewer of plants. Most dogs ignore it completely; if yours grazes on greenery, consider hornbeam or beech instead, and speak to your vet if any plant has been eaten.
Pot-grown plants can go in at any time of year as long as the ground isn't frozen or waterlogged — spring and autumn are ideal. Larger rootballed plants are planted November to March.
