Portuguese Laurel Hedging Plants

A refined, formal evergreen

Portuguese Laurel has smaller, darker leaves than Cherry Laurel and attractive red young stems, so a clipped hedge looks finer and more formal. It keeps its foliage all year and can be kept as a neat boundary of around 1.2–2m or grown taller for a substantial privacy screen.

Tough and adaptable

It is very hardy, copes well with cold winters and exposed inland sites, and is one of the best evergreen hedges for chalky or alkaline soils, where Cherry Laurel can struggle. Like Cherry Laurel, it regrows well from older wood, so an overgrown hedge can be cut back and renovated.

Flowers and berries for wildlife

A lightly trimmed hedge produces sprays of small, scented white flowers in early summer that are visited by bees, followed by berries that ripen to dark purple and are eaten by birds.

Portuguese Laurel compared with Cherry Laurel and Yew

For faster screening with bigger leaves, compare Cherry Laurel hedge plants. For the crispest formal finish, see English Yew. For a clear-stem specimen, see our Portuguese Laurel tree.

Soil and drainage

Portuguese Laurel grows in most well-drained soils, including chalk, loam and clay that does not stay waterlogged. Avoid ground where water sits for long periods after rain. On heavy or compacted ground, prepare the whole planting strip so water can drain away, rather than filling individual holes with compost.

Sun and shade

It grows in full sun, partial shade and considerable shade, which makes it useful beside buildings and under taller trees. In deep shade it grows more slowly and less densely, and dry shade beneath established trees means the new hedge competes for water, so keep it well watered while it establishes.

Exposure and safety

It copes well with wind on inland sites. On the coast, salt-laden wind can scorch the foliage, so our coastal hedging is a better choice for front-line sites. The leaves and seeds are poisonous if eaten, so avoid planting where livestock graze. Read Is Laurel hedging poisonous? for the detail.

How fast does Portuguese Laurel grow?

Once established, Portuguese Laurel typically grows around 20–40cm a year in suitable conditions. Growth is often slower in the first season while the roots establish, so allow three to five years for small plants to form a tall screen. Our answer to How fast does Portuguese Laurel grow as a hedge? explains what affects growth.

How far apart should Portuguese Laurel be planted?

Plant in a single row. As a guide, plant 30–40cm bare-root plants at 5 per metre and 40–60cm pot-grown plants at 4 per metre. Plants from 60–150cm go in at 3 per metre, and larger plants from 150–225cm at 2 per metre. Instant hedging is sold by the metre. See our guide to planting a Laurel hedge for step-by-step planting.

When and how to prune

An established Portuguese Laurel hedge usually needs one main trim a year, in summer once any nesting birds have finished, with a light tidy later if needed. Use secateurs or sharp hedge trimmers and keep the base slightly wider than the top so light reaches the lower branches. Read our How to prune a Laurel hedge guide and When should I prune a Laurel hedge?, and our Laurel hedge care guide for watering and feeding.