Portugal Laurel are also called Prunus lusitanica 'Angustifolia'.
These are bushy, field-grown hedging plants, that are rootballed. Rootballed means dug from the ground between November and early April, they are dug with a ball of soil and then wrapped in hessian. They can be planted as they are to form your hedge with the hessian left on them.
How many plants?
To find out how many plants you need, first measure the length of the area you want to plant in metres or feet.
We recommend spacing plants from 2 to 3 feet (60 cm to 1 metre) apart. It depends on two factors: how quickly you want a screen hedge, and what the final height of the hedge will be. The closer plant them, the quicker they will fill the gaps and give you a screen.
However, the taller you want your hedge, the further apart you will need to space them. For example, a hedge that will be 15 feet (5 metres) or higher you will need to space them 3 feet apart to give their roots more room to expand. But if you want your hedge to be lower you can space them 2 feet apart for a quicker screen.
Whether you choose 2 or 3 feet, in the long term your hedge will look the same.
To help decide you can use our Hedge Spacing Calculator. Simply enter the length of the area you want to plant in either feet or metres, and it will work out the quantity you need at different spacings.
When to plant
You can plant rootballed plants between November and end of March/early April. As long as the soil is not completely frozen and you can get a spade in the ground, it is fine to plant.
How to plant
When planting, make sure you clear any weeds or grass from the area you are going to plant your hedge. Dig a hole one and a half to twice the width of the pot your plants come in. It only needs to be deep enough so that the top of the rootball is level with the soil surface. Use a spade or garden fork to loosen the soil at the bottom of the hole. This will help the plant’s roots to grow into the soil more easily. Leave the hessian root-wrap on the rootball when planting as it disturbs the roots less and the roots will root through it.
If you are using feed or Rootgrow, then sprinkle a handful into the planting hole so that it will contact the plant roots.
Take your hedging plant out of its pot and position it in the centre of the hole, making sure it is straight, then refill the hole with the soil you have dug out and firm it down using your feet. Water it in well, even if rain is forecast.
It will also be beneficial to apply a mulch of bark, compost, or wood chippings around the base of your plants. This will help retain moisture in the soil, suppress any weeds, and provide food.
Delivery
We dispatch plants all through the year from Monday to Friday on two options. Express delivery aims to deliver within 1-2 working days, if you order before 11am, we can normally deliver next working day. Standard delivery usually delivers within 2-3 working days. You can choose your delivery date during the checkout process. Delivery times are generally between 9am and 5pm, but customers can specifically ask for morning or afternoon delivery at an extra charge. Customers can also collect their plants on site.
We deliver to most areas in England, Scotland and Wales. We are not able to deliver to Northern Ireland. Our minimum order is £150.00 worth of plants plus delivery charge.
When placing an order, you can either order online or over the phone. Please call us on 01460 281265 (option 2) if you would like to order over the phone. We are open 7 days a week.
You will receive shipping confirmation when your order is being dispatched. Your plants will be delivered in wooden pallet crates. These are delivered by our courier directly to you by lorry. When arrived, the lorry driver will lower these crates to ground level and move them onto your driveway. They will not take the crate away; this will be left with you.
Please note: we measure the height from the top of the rootball to the tip of the plant. The heights quoted will be the height of the plants on delivery. The eventual height of the hedge will depend on pruning.
Prices are per plant and include VAT but not delivery. For delivery charges, see our Delivery page or add the plants to your basket and the delivery charge will be calculated as you go through the checkout process.
Watering
How much watering you need to do depends on the time of year you plant your hedge. If you plant in autumn or winter, between October and March, you will not need to water often because high rainfall and cooler temperatures usually means the soil does not dry out. If you plant between in spring or summer, between March and October, then you will need to water your plants up to twice a week. If it is hot and dry you may need to water every two days.
Whatever the time of year, what you are aiming to do is to ensure the roots do not dry out until the plant has developed a good root sy
