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Portuguese Laurel | Prunus Lusitanica 'Angustifolia' | 1m Instant Hedging Length
  • Portuguese Laurel | Prunus Lusitanica 'Angustifolia' | 1m Instant Hedging Length
  • Portuguese Laurel | Prunus Lusitanica 'Angustifolia' | 1m Instant Hedging Length
  • Portuguese Laurel | Prunus Lusitanica 'Angustifolia' | 1m Instant Hedging Length
  • Portuguese Laurel | Prunus Lusitanica 'Angustifolia' | 1m Instant Hedging Length
  • Portuguese Laurel | Prunus Lusitanica 'Angustifolia' | 1m Instant Hedging Length
Portuguese Laurel | Prunus Lusitanica 'Angustifolia' | 1m Instant Hedging Length

Instant Hedging

Portuguese Laurel | Prunus Lusitanica 'Angustifolia' | 1m Instant Hedging Length

£310.00
Select Instant Hedging Height

AT A GLANCE

Chosen for its refined, evergreen look and neat response to clipping, Portuguese Laurel forms a strong, long-lasting privacy screen. Glossy dark green, smaller leaves on red-tinted stems and scented white flower racemes in early summer give a smart, classic finish for both modern and traditional properties.

  • Evergreen
  • Partial Shade
  • Full Sun
FREE Delivery

Enjoy FREE mainland UK pallet delivery on all our instant hedging. Orders are typically dispatched and delivered within 30 working days of purchase. 

Your plants arrive securely wrapped on pallets, ensuring they stay protected and ready for planting. Deliveries are curbside only and require solid access for an 18-tonne lorry and pump truck.

For properties with restricted access or locations outside our standard delivery network, contact our team for tailored delivery advice and a personalised quote.


Read our Delivery Policy for full details.
Planting

We offer an optional professional planting service for customers who’d like our team to take care of the complete installation. Please note this is an add-on only service and must be purchased with our instant hedging.

 Our standard planting package starts at £1,500, which includes the planting of up to 18 instant hedging units (1 m each). To learn more about preparing for your planting day or to add our professional service to your order, visit our Professional Planting product page and visit our Terms of Service.

 If you’d rather plant your hedge yourself, we’ve created a DIY Planting Guide with step-by-step advice on site preparation, positioning the units, and helping your new hedge establish successfully.
Size & Handling

Each instant hedging unit is a mature, ready-grown hedge section designed to provide instant privacy and structure from the moment it’s planted. Supplied in convenient 100cm lengths, every section arrives pre-clipped, approximately 40cm deep, and grown to your chosen height for a finished, professional look straight away.

Your hedge will be delivered in strong cardboard troughs, measuring around 30–40cm wide and 35cm deep, with pre-cut lifting points for use with lifting hooks or or careful two-to-four-person handling.

These are substantial, field-grown hedge units, and proper handling is essential. Each section typically weighs between 100–200kg (and occasionally more), so please ensure suitable help or mechanical equipment is available to move and position your hedging safely and efficiently on site at the point of delivery.
Why Choose Instant Hedging

Each instant hedging module is made from 3–5 mature plants per linear metre, carefully grown together over several years to form a dense, seamless living screen. From the moment it’s planted, your hedge provides instant privacy, structure, and an established look that feels like it’s been part of your garden for years.

Unlike buying individual plants that need time to fill out, often leaving gaps and uneven growth, our instant hedging gives you a complete, uniform hedge straight away. There’s no need to measure planting distances, worry about spacing, or wait years for coverage.

Every section is professionally grown, pre-clipped, and evenly spaced, ensuring a consistent height and clean, finished face from day one. Simply choose your desired height and measure the metres you need. It’s that easy to transform your outdoor space with a ready-made, mature hedge.

SAVE 5%

WHEN YOU BUY 5+ METERS

SAVE 10%

WHEN YOU BUY 10+ METERS

SAVE 15%

WHEN YOU BUY 25+ METERS

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WHEN YOU BUY 50+ METERS

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WHEN YOU BUY 100+ METERS

Portuguese Laurel | Prunus Lusitanica 'Angustifolia' | 1m Instant Hedging Length

Portuguese Laurel | Prunus Lusitanica 'Angustifolia' | 1m Instant Hedging Length

Portuguese Laurel is ideal when you want a hedge that looks immaculate in every season but stays tighter and more formal than common cherry laurel. It clips crisply, holds a dense face, and brings subtle seasonal interest with flowers and small black berries. Tough and adaptable, it performs in sun or partial shade and copes well with a range of well-drained soils, including those with some lime.
GROWTH & MAINTENANCE OF Portuguese Laurel | Prunus Lusitanica 'Angustifolia' | 1m Instant Hedging Length

Portuguese Laurel can reach 6–12 m as a free-growing tree/shrub, but for hedging we recommend a final working height of 1.5–3 m. At this size it stays dense, elegant, and straightforward to manage year after year.
You have flexibility depending on your design goals:
• Maintain at the supplied height with light, regular trims for a neat, uniform screen.
• Allow extra height/width where space permits — just plan for safe access to the top and a little more trimming time.
To keep foliage full from top to bottom, shape the hedge slightly wider at the base than the top so light reaches the lower branches and prevents thinning.
Planting Position & Access

Portuguese Laurel thrives in full sun to partial shade and prefers moist, well-drained soil. It tolerates a touch of lime better than common cherry laurel, but avoid persistent waterlogging. Wherever possible, leave 0.5–1 m of working space along the hedge to access both faces and safely reach the top. Good access = easier long-term maintenance and a consistently crisp finish.
Spacing & Interaction with other plants

When spacing alongside other plants consider the following.
• Positive companions: low, non-competitive groundcovers and an organic mulch (5–7 cm) to stabilise moisture, improve soil life, and suppress weeds.
• Avoid: heavy root competition from thirsty trees/shrubs and soil compaction along the root zone — both slow establishment and reduce density.

Watering Portuguese Laurel | Prunus Lusitanica 'Angustifolia' | 1m Instant Hedging Length

Watering is the single most important job when establishing Portuguese laurel; it’s more drought-tolerant than cherry types but still needs reliable moisture early on. In production plants are watered little and often; in the ground they prefer slow, deep soaks that wet the whole root zone. Use the top few centimetres as your gauge—water when dry. Keep drainage sharp so water never sits in the pit, and adjust frequency for sandy soils or exposed, sunny sites. A clean mulch collar helps hold moisture while keeping stems clear. Water early with a gentle trickle, avoiding late leaf wetting. For the first 12–24 months maintain steady moisture through the growing season and only top up in winter dry spells; once established, reserve watering for prolonged drought.
Early establishment phase

In the first 12-24 months, during the warmer growing months keep soil evenly moist—water when the top few cm are dry, mulch, and avoid standing water, and in the dormant months water only during long dry periods; maintain mulch and good drainage.
How to notice under-watering

In order to notice under watering, look out for slightly drooped, leathery leaves, pale margins scorching, and slowed new growth with dry surface soil.
How to notice over-watering

In order to notice over watering, look out for even leaf yellowing with limp texture, no perk-up after watering, and a sour, waterlogged planting hole.
3+ Years after planting

Once established (after 2–3 years), water only in sustained heat or drought with an occasional deep soak; maintain mulch and free-draining soil.

feeding Portuguese Laurel | Prunus Lusitanica 'Angustifolia' | 1m Instant Hedging Length

AT PLANTING

Incorporate a balanced slow-release fertiliser or root-stimulating granules into the planting area (following manufacturer instructions) so your hedge gets a strong start.

YEARLY FEEDS

Apply a general-purpose, slow-release fertiliser in early spring (March/April) so the hedge has nutrients as growth starts. In later spring you can consider a light feed if growth appears weak or colour is faded.

FOLLOW CAUTION

Avoid excessive high-nitrogen feeds in summer, you don’t want rampant, weak growth that flops. For hedges, steady, controlled growth is far better than fast, floppy shoots.

TRIMMING Portuguese Laurel | Prunus Lusitanica 'Angustifolia' | 1m Instant Hedging Length

How and when to trim

For Portuguese Laurel, the main trim should be carried out in late summer once growth has slowed for the year, which is ideal for maintaining a sharp, clean line. Alternatively, you can prune in late spring after flowering if you want to enjoy the fragrant white racemes and avoid removing the flowering wood. Avoid heavy pruning during periods of hard frost or extreme heat.
QUICK TIPS

Technique for the perfect Portuguese Laurel hedge
• Keep the profile slightly wider at the base for light penetration and ground-level density.
• Use secateurs or sharp shears (large leaves can tear with dull blades) for a clean finish.
• Prefer small, regular trims over infrequent hard cuts — steadier shaping = healthier plants and neater results.
• Maintain 0.5–1 m access so you can reach the top safely and keep lines true.
HARD CUT BACK AND REDUCTION

Portuguese Laurel tolerates renovation, but do it in stages over 1–2 seasons on well-established plants for strong, even regrowth.
A closer look at Portuguese Laurel | Prunus Lusitanica 'Angustifolia' | 1m Instant Hedging Length

Portuguese Laurel has long been valued in British and European gardens for its poised, evergreen presence and crisp response to clipping. The glossy, smaller dark-green leaves on red-tinted petioles and stems give a refined texture, while fragrant white flower racemes in early summer and small black berries later in the season add subtle, seasonal interest. As a hedge, it forms a strong, architectural line that feels premium yet understated, suiting both formal frontages and contemporary garden rooms.
Plants that pair well with Portuguese Laurel | Prunus Lusitanica 'Angustifolia' | 1m Instant Hedging Length

Portuguese Laurel’s dark, glossy leaves and red stems lend elegance to both classical and contemporary gardens. It pairs perfectly with English Yew or Ilex topiary to echo its refined geometry, while pale blooms such as Hydrangea paniculata or Allium ‘Mount Everest’ pop vividly against its deep green background. Underplant with Lavender, Santolina, or Salvia officinalis to enhance its Mediterranean character and attract pollinators during its summer flowering period. The overall effect is architectural yet inviting—structured by evergreen form, softened by texture and seasonal movement.
Latin name and origins of Portuguese Laurel | Prunus Lusitanica 'Angustifolia' | 1m Instant Hedging Length

Botanically, Prunus lusitanica (“laurel-cherry from Lusitania,” the ancient name for Portugal) speaks to its Iberian heritage and long horticultural use. In the UK, it’s prized for holding a neat face, building density quickly under light, regular trims, and keeping its colour through winter. It thrives in full sun to partial shade on well-drained soils (with a touch more lime tolerance than common cherry laurel), making it a practical, long-lived choice for year-round privacy.

Wildlife Friends of Portuguese Laurel | Prunus Lusitanica 'Angustifolia' | 1m Instant Hedging Length

Portuguese Laurel contributes richly to biodiversity through both form and function. Its fragrant white flowers draw bees, butterflies, and hoverflies in early summer, while its small black berries provide valuable late-season food for birds. The dense evergreen structure creates a dependable refuge for nesting and overwintering species, allowing gardens and landscapes to remain ecologically active even in the quieter months. Elegant yet ecologically vital, it bridges ornamental design with real wildlife value.
Tips for encouraging wildlife in your hedge

In the first 12-24 months, during the warmer growing months keep soil evenly moist—water when the top few cm are dry, mulch, and avoid standing water, and in the dormant months water only during long dry periods; maintain mulch and good drainage.
Toxicity Notes

Portuguese Laurel shares the same chemical defence system as other Prunus species, with cyanogenic glycosides present in the foliage and seeds. These compounds can release hydrogen cyanide if the plant material is crushed or wilted, posing potential toxicity to grazing animals such as horses, cattle, and sheep. Dogs and cats would need to consume a substantial amount of leaf matter to be at risk, which is rare due to the plant’s bitter taste. Birds safely eat the ripe fruit pulp, avoiding the seeds. In garden settings, Portuguese Laurel is widely used without issue, but clippings should never be fed to livestock.
Foliage

The foliage on Portuguese Laurel hedging plants is smaller, neat, and highly glossy, weaving into a refined but remarkably wildlife-friendly evergreen matrix. The compact leaves and fine branching provide safe nesting niches for Sylvia atricapilla (blackcap) and Troglodytes troglodytes, while also buffering cold winds to protect roosting birds. Sooty moulds and mild aphid populations on sheltered leaves feed Chrysoperla carnea (lacewing) larvae and hoverflies, increasing natural pest control. At the base, shaded litter layers give hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus) dependable foraging routes rich in beetles and worms.
Fruits

The fruits on Portuguese Laurel hedging plants are small, rounded drupes that begin green in midsummer and ripen to deep purple-black by autumn. Though unpalatable to humans, they are highly sought after by birds such as Turdus merula (blackbird), Turdus philomelos (song thrush), and Sylvia borin (garden warbler). These species play a key role in seed dispersal, often perching to digest and deposit the seeds several metres from the parent plant. The fruiting clusters also attract insect life, providing late-season feeding for beetles (Coleoptera) and ants (Formicidae). Portuguese Laurel’s reliable fruiting in full sun and moderate moisture conditions ensures a dependable wildlife food source deep into the autumn months.
Flowers

The flowers on Portuguese Laurel hedging plants appear in early summer, typically from June into July, forming graceful white racemes that cascade elegantly along the stems. Each flower releases a sweet, honeyed scent that attracts a wide array of pollinators, including honeybees (Apis mellifera), long-tongued bumblebees (Bombus hortorum), and various night-flying moths. These blossoms later mature into glossy black berries that ripen in autumn, providing valuable food for Turdus merula (blackbirds) and Sylvia atricapilla (blackcaps). The heaviest flowering occurs when plants receive good sunlight and consistent spring moisture, particularly in well-drained but fertile soils that allow steady root growth.

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