Portuguese Laurel Hedging Screens

Portuguese Laurel Hedging Screens
Portuguese Laurel (Latin name Prunus Lusitanica Angustifolia) remains one of our most popular evergreen hedging choices, well suited to growing throughout Britain and Ireland. These particular Portuguese Laurel plants have been nurtured and grown in rows of 5 or 6 plants and have been trained on a bamboo frame to maximise the screening effect. We refer to them as Instant Hedging Screens as they provide immediate privacy. These instant hedging screens are perfect when you want an instant hedging screen in a hurry. They are also very useful for narrow spaces as the row of plants is not overly wide.

Practical and efficient, these Portuguese Laurel Hedging Screens have a compact, upright growth habit that quickly produces an instant formal hedge. Portuguese Laurel grows at a rapid rate of approximately 30 to 60 centimetres or more per year. Portuguese Laurel Hedging Screens only require clipping once per year, ideally in the month of June. When not regularly pruned, the hardy and rapid growth of the hedging screen will reach a height of 18 meters relatively quickly.

Portuguese Laurel Hedging is beloved for its deep, dark evergreen narrow leaves that stand out in stark contrast to the stems which are a bright pinkish-red. In the month of June, the Portuguese laurel will produce an abundance of fragrant yellowish-white flowers on flower spikes which many people compare to the aroma of Hawthorn blossom. Bees and butterflies adore these small but sweet scented flowers. The flower spikes rise upward and are frequently clipped to make aromatic bouquets. If the grower does not wish the hedge screen to produce flowers, then it is suggested the plant be clipped early in June before the buds have a chance to open. 

Following flowering, Prunus Lusitanica Angustifolia produces red cherry-like fruits that are a favourite of song birds. If the birds do not consume the berries, they turn a dark blackish shade in the autumn. In bygone eras, the Portuguese Laurel was planted wherever game birds could browse the berries because it was believed that the berries of the shrub pleasantly flavoured the bird’s meat. Its dense growth habit makes the Portuguese Laurel an ideal nesting location for many small birds. 

Your Prunus Lusitanica Angustifolia Instant Screen will grow in full sun or in shade. It grows well in all soil types, even chalky. Although moderately drought tolerant when established, it is advised that the soil is kept evenly moist for the first year of growth while your hedging screen establishes a strong and diverse root system.