The Portuguese Laurel (Prunus lusitanica) is a refined, evergreen tree ideal for formal gardens, screening, or adding year-round structure to any outdoor space. With its rich, dark green foliage and attractive reddish stems, it offers a more elegant alternative to the common cherry laurel.
At Tree Heritage Nursery, we supply Portuguese Laurel standard trees in three sizes: 10–12 cm, 14–16 cm, and 18–20 cm.
Growing Conditions
Portuguese Laurel is easy to grow and adapts to a wide range of moist but well-drained soils, including chalk, clay, sand, and loam. It prefers full sun to partial shade, and once established, is drought-tolerant, hardy, and resistant to pollution, making it an excellent choice for both urban and rural gardens.
Where to Position It
This versatile tree is perfect for formal planting schemes, topiary, or as a natural privacy screen. It’s well-suited to containers, avenue planting, or as a standalone feature in both small and large gardens. Its neat, upright form responds well to pruning, allowing for shape control and structure.
Foliage, Flowers & Fruit
Portuguese Laurel features lustrous, dark green, lance-shaped leaves with an elegant, tidy appearance. In early summer, it produces upright spikes of fragrant white flowers that attract bees and pollinators. These are followed by small red berries, which ripen to dark purple-black and are a valuable food source for birds. The tree’s reddish-purple stems add a subtle touch of colour and contrast throughout the year.
Size & Growth
-
Ultimate Height: Up to 8 metres
-
Ultimate Spread: Up to 4.6 metres
-
Time to Ultimate Height: 20–50 years
%20is%20a%20refined,%20evergreen%20tree%20ideal%20for%20formal%20gardens,%20screening,...){kind=link}