Portuguese Laurel Care How To Plant Portuguese Laurel Tree

Plant your laurel in a hole that is slightly larger than the root ball. Add extra soil to fill it in once planted and gently pack it to remove air bubbles. Initially, you should water the tree or hedge regularly to help the roots get established.

How do you plant a Portuguese laurel?

Planting Portugal laurel

Portugal laurel appreciates full sun exposure but still tolerates part shade.
A blend of soil mix and garden soil is perfectly appropriate.
In a hedge, provide for enough space between specimens, about 3 feet (1 meter), so that your Prunus lusitanica can grow without suffocating.

When should you plant Portuguese laurel?

If you plant between March and October, you must be prepared to keep them watered until the end of October. If you plant during the winter months, November to February, you may not need to water your plants as they will have a chance to get some roots established before the soil dries out in the spring.

How far apart should you plant Portuguese laurel?

All types of laurel should be planted between 2 and 3 feet (60-90cm) apart. If you want a quick screen then plant your laurel hedging plants at 2ft apart but if you are willing to wait a bit longer, you will get just as dense a hedge by planting at 3ft apart. Often a good compromise is 2'6″ apart.

Can you over water Portuguese laurel?

A Mediterranean native, Portuguese laurel handles moist to dry soil, clay to sand and drought. But it does not tolerate soggy soil. Overwatering suffocates the plant's roots, leading to chlorotic leaves and eventual root rot.

Will Portuguese laurel grow in shade?

Excellent in Dry Shade

Portuguese Laurel will grow in any soil, no matter how poor and in virtually any aspect. This is particularly good if you have a dry shady area where you wish to put a hedge. As Portuguese Laurel is hardier than most plants, it will also do really well in exposed positions.

Is Portuguese laurel poisonous to dogs?

Almost all species of Laurel hedge are poisonous to dogs, with the exception of Bay Laurel. If you share your home with a dog, it is recommended that you either choose Bay or an alternative species to prevent your pet from coming to any harm by ingesting any fallen leaves, berries etc.

Should I Feed Portuguese laurel?

Portuguese laurels require feeding only once a year. Apply a handful of granular general purpose fertilizer under each shrub in the fall.

Does Portuguese laurel make a good hedge?

A very attractive hedging option, Portuguese Laurel produces pencil-like spikes of creamy-white flowers in early summer and has rich, burgundy-coloured leaf stalks in winter; it is ideal for a good solid evergreen hedge, but can also be used as a specimen shrub or allowed to grow to form an evergreen tree.

How do you care for a Portuguese laurel?

Inadequate watering is the main problem with Prunus Lusitanica Portuguese Laurel. Lack of foliage shine, browning, drooping or yellowing all indicate that the soil is too dry and that you need to water the plants more. In general, during summer, weekly watering accompanied by feeding will keep your plants in top form.

How do I make my Laurel bushier?

To prune laurel to encourage growth, we'd recommend trimming the branches and cutting them back several times a year (depending on how fast it grows) by up to a quarter. This makes the bush come back bushier and thicker than before more rapidly.

Do laurels have deep roots?

The most troublesome trees are those with deep, penetrating root systems, but laurel's is particularly shallow. Most arboriculturists would argue that a safe tree-to-house distance is about half the eventual size of the tree, although insurers are usually more cautious.

Can you plant laurel cuttings straight into the ground?

Laurel cuttings are hardwood cuttings taken in November and December and at no other time. The cuttings can be placed directly into the final growing position.

How hard can you cut back Portuguese laurel?

Trimming three times a year would be far too savage for most plants, but Portuguese laurel is very adaptable. Some specimens in badly neglected gardens that are more than 100 years old have been cut hard back to stumps to rejuvenate them and they quickly recover.

What is the difference between cherry laurel and Portuguese laurel?

Cherry Laurel hedging is our most favourable option, hence the alternate name, the Common Laurel. Cherry Laurel is a large hedge plant and primarily used for its large thick and glossy green leaves. ... The Portuguese Laurel hedge plant boast rich, darker green leaves along its striking deep red-pink stems.

Why do laurels turn yellow?

Nutritional deficiency – A yellowing bay laurel can be caused by a nutritional deficiency, particularly in iron. If a plant is not receiving enough iron it decreases Chlorophyll which is a vital component of photosynthesis, allowing plants to absorb energy from the sun. This results in yellow leaves at the edges.

Will Laurel grow under trees?

Laurel is quick-growing and evergreen. ... Laurel will grow in most soils in full sun or heavy shade, in fact you quite often see it planted under tree canopies in National Trust and other estates and kept trimmed to a low height to keep down the brambles and bracken.

Are there different types of Portuguese laurel?

Portugal Laurel makes an excellent hedging plant although the variety 'Myrtifolia' is becoming more popular. All varieties of Prunus lusitanica will grown on any free-draining soil (i.e. not waterlogged) even shallow chalky soils where it can be planted where Prunus laurocerasus (Cherry Laurel) cannot.

Which Laurel is not poisonous?

The second laurel that we all know – Portuguese laurel, Prunus lusitanica – is, I think, superior in every way. It has none of the poisonous, rampant invasiveness of the cherry laurel and yet is a tough, hardy evergreen shrub or small tree that will also make a hedge.

Can you eat Portuguese laurel berries?

Toxicity. The leaves of Prunus lusitanica contain cyanide and will release this into the environment if burnt or if crushed. The fruit is somewhat edible if fully ripe, but if it is bitter, it is toxic and should not be eaten.

Does Laurel kill other plants?

Like Rhododendron ponticum with which it often grows, if unmanaged, it will form almost impenetrable shrubberies or understories in woodland and effectively kill off all other vegetation except the mature trees. None except destruction of amenity landscapes by excessive unmanaged growth.

Is Portuguese Laurel Hardy?

Perfect for exposed coastal gardens, its hardy nature can tolerate the forceful, salt laden winds, intense sunlight and freezing winter temperatures. 5. Plant Portuguese Laurel to bring colour to those dull, covered areas of your garden as they thrive in fully shaded positions.