Also known as Portuguese Cherry Laurel or Prunus lusitanica, the Pleached Portuguese Laurel offers a smart, formal solution for instant privacy and garden structure. Trained on a clear stem with a neatly clipped screen of evergreen foliage above, it’s ideal for creating living fences, screening above walls, or dividing garden spaces with year-round elegance.
At Tree Heritage Nursery, our Pleached Portuguese Laurel Trees are expertly trained and available in a range of pleached panel sizes and trunk heights to suit your garden design.
Growing Conditions
Portuguese Laurel is hardy and adaptable, thriving in moist but well-drained soils, from chalky to clay, and tolerating full sun to partial shade. It performs reliably in urban environments, and once established, is drought-tolerant, pollution-resistant, and suitable for both sheltered and exposed sites.
Where to Position It
Perfect for creating instant privacy, green screening, or elevated hedging, pleached Portuguese Laurel is ideal for small urban gardens, contemporary courtyards, or along boundaries where space is limited at ground level. Its compact form and lush canopy make it a refined alternative to fencing or brick walls.
Foliage, Flowers & Fruit
Portuguese Laurel has glossy, deep green leaves on distinctive reddish stems, forming a dense, tidy screen when clipped. In early summer, it produces upright clusters of small white flowers, lightly scented and attractive to pollinators. These may be followed by small red berries, ripening to dark purple-black, which add subtle interest and benefit birds.
Size & Growth
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Ultimate Height: 3–5 metres (with regular pruning)
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Ultimate Spread: Head dimensions maintained by pruning
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Time to Ultimate Size: 5–10 years
