Portugal laurel

Portugal laurel: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Dense, broadly upright shrub 3–4 m high and about 3 m wide; as a hedge easily kept at 1.5–2 m.

Leaves

Oval to lance-shaped, 6–12 cm, glossy dark green with a finely toothed edge and dark red leaf stalks.

Flowers

Small white flowers with a sweet scent, in slender spikes of 15–25 cm, in June.

Fruit

Small, oval berries of about 8 mm, red at first, purple-black when ripe, in late summer.

Twigs

Young twigs are reddish, like the leaf stalks.

Flowering: June · Plants: April–May and September–October · Pruning: June and August

Why grow it?

• Evergreen: a dense, glossy green screen all year round.
• Scented white flower spikes in June, busy with bees.
• Berries in late summer for blackbirds and other birds.
• Grows in sun and shade and tolerates hard pruning.
• More elegant than common cherry laurel, with red leaf stalks that stand out nicely.
• Also suitable as a ball on a stem or in a large pot.

Portugal laurel: where does it grow best?

• Sun, partial shade or shade: it does well anywhere.
• Any well-drained soil: sand, loam or clay, acid to chalky.
• Moist but not wet; avoid soil that stays wet for long.
• For a hedge, 2–3 plants per metre; as a specimen, allow 3 m of space.
• A spot sheltered from cold, dry east winds prevents brown leaves in hard winters.

Light

Sun, partial shade and shade

Soil type

Sand, loam or clay

Acidity

Not fussy

Moisture

Normal

Size

4 m tall, 3 m wide

Hardiness

Hardy (to -20 °C)

Goes well with

• Hydrangea: Flowers after it and likes the same partial shade.
• Ferns: A fresh underplanting in the shade of the hedge.
• Hardy geranium: A low, flowering edge in front of the dark hedge.
• Daffodils: Colour at its feet in spring.

Portugal laurel: when and how to plant it?

Plant in April–May and September–October.

1. Plant in April–May or September–October, so that it is well rooted before winter.
2. For a hedge: stretch a line and dig a trench 40 cm wide and deep rather than separate planting holes.
3. Mix compost into the excavated soil.
4. Set the plants at the same depth as they were in the pot, 35–50 cm apart, and firm them in well.
5. Water in generously straight away, even if it is raining.
6. Spread mulch along the base of the hedge.

Care

Watering

Water generously every week in dry spells during the first year. After that it is undemanding.

Feeding

In April, some compost or organic feed; no more is needed.

Mulching

A layer of mulch keeps the base of a young hedge weed-free and moist.

In a pot

As a ball on a stem in a large pot: water regularly and top-dress with fresh potting compost every spring.

Prunings

Clear them up and never give them to animals: the leaves are poisonous.

Tip: Trim with secateurs, not a hedge trimmer: the large leaves stay intact and your hedge looks well kept all year round.

Portugal laurel: when to prune it?

Pruning months: June and August.

When: Late June, just after flowering. For a crisp hedge or ball, you can give it another light trim at the end of August.

How:

• Use secateurs rather than a hedge trimmer: half-cut leaves turn brown and look unsightly.
• Keep a hedge slightly wider at the bottom than at the top, so that the base gets light and does not go bare.
• A neglected hedge can be cut back hard into old wood; it will shoot again afterwards.
• Ball on a stem: trim twice a year, in late June and late August.

Caution: Wear gloves and clear up the prunings: the leaves and stones are poisonous.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Semi-ripe cuttings

In August–September: cuttings of 10–15 cm, lower leaves removed and large leaves cut in half, in moist cutting compost under plastic or in a cold frame.

Portugal laurel: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to −20 °C.

• Hardy to about −20 °C: no problem in most Belgian winters.
• In hard winters, cold, dry winds can turn the leaves brown; it usually shoots again in spring.
• During a dry, frosty spell, water on a frost-free day so that the evergreen leaves do not dry out.
• In a pot: keep it in a sheltered spot and wrap the pot in hessian.

Diseases and pests

• Shot hole: Small round brown spots on the leaves that drop out, leaving holes. Clear up affected leaves and prune in dry weather.
• Vine weevil: Half-moon notches in the leaf edges; the larvae feed on the roots. Look for the beetles at night with a torch and use nematodes against the larvae.
• Aphids: On young shoots in May–June. Hose them off with water; natural predators do the rest.
• Brown leaves: After a hard winter or from cold winds. Cut out the brown parts in June.

Through the year

• April: Planting. Spread compost.
• May: Planting. Watch for aphids.
• June: Scented flower spikes. Prune after flowering.
• July: Water young hedges in dry spells.
• August: Berries colour. Second, light trim. Take semi-ripe cuttings.
• September: Planting. Take cuttings.
• October: Planting.
• December: Rest. An evergreen hedge in the winter garden.

Edible and useful

Not edible. The leaves and stones of Portugal laurel contain compounds that release cyanide: do not eat the berries, and never use the leaves instead of bay (Laurus nobilis) in cooking. Do not shred or burn the clippings in an enclosed space, and do not leave them where cattle or horses can reach them. If any is swallowed, call a poison centre (in Belgium 070 245 245) or your doctor at once.

Good for wildlife

Bees

Nectar and pollen for honeybees and wild bees.

Birds

Berries, seeds or insects as food, or a place to nest.

Did you know?

• Lusitanica refers to Lusitania, the Roman name for a region that largely corresponds to present-day Portugal.
• In the wild it grows in damp ravines and along streams, a relic of the laurel forests that grew in southern Europe millions of years ago.
• It is related to the cherry, the plum and the almond; its berries look like very small cherries.