Prunus lusitanica subsp. azorica
Portugal laurel
- Height × spread
- 8m × 5m
- Position
- All conditions
- Hardiness
- Cold to -15C (RHS H5)
- Flowers
- Spring, Summer
Availability
Please ask in store about availability
Many plants are seasonal. Call 01234 567890 to check current stock.
About this plant
This is a subspecies from the Azores with rather broader leaves than the continental subspecies. They are oblong with a pointed tip and have slightly curved edges. The leaf edges have reddish tints when they first unfold and, held on red stalks, are handsome in their effect. The shrub makes a loose, rather open cone, much less formal than the other subspecies and flowering with less freedom. The flowers that are produced are white and held in upright columnar racemes. A mature specimen can reach around 6.5m (21ft) spread so some containment pruning might be necessary in some sites.
- Flower colour
- White
- Foliage colour
- Green
- Stem colour
- Red
- Fruit colour
- Purple
- Variegated
- No
- Scent
- Yes, sweet
- Shape
- Bell
- Height
- 8m
- Spread
- 5m
- Height in 10 years
- 4m
- Spread in 10 years
- 4m
- Flowers in
- Spring, Summer
- Evergreen
- Evergreen
- Garden style
- Scented garden, Mediterranean garden
- Sun or shade
- All conditions
- Soil type
- Clay, Gravelly soil, Loam (normal), Poor soil, Sandy soil
- Soil pH
- All types
- Drainage
- Moisture retentive soil, Damp and wet soil, Well drained soil
- Hardiness
- Cold to -15C (RHS H5)
- Borders & containers
- Borders
- Use for
- Hedge, Structural, Bee attraction, Butterfly attraction
- Hazards
- Yes, potentially harmful; Humans: Harmful if eaten
Spring
Spring - late · Outdoors
Feed young plants with slow release fertiliser
Spread a slow release fertiliser around the base of the plant to the edge of the foliage spread, so that it can feed the roots. It is helpful for this to be applied for several years.
This is a simple way to provide a nutrient boost until the plant becomes well established.
Spring-Autumn · Outdoors
Water to keep the soil moist
For best results, this plant needs soil that is always moist. Water deeply and regularly as soon as soil appears dry. Even for established plants in the ground, a dry week can cause problems with some soils. Check plants in pots more often, especially in hot weather. Or install an automatic irrigation system which will do the hard work for you, even when you are away on holiday.
Without regular watering some plants never fully regain their beauty.
Spring-Summer · Planting
Prune lightly after flowering
Give the plant a light haircut, generally tidying it up and removing any shoots that are wayward or damaged in any way. Dead flowers can be cut off if this is practical - the shrub may have too many, or they may be hard to reach.
Planting & general
Outdoor planting · Planting
Add root growth stimulant to the planting hole
Mycorrhizal fungi helps roots establish quickly, so they absorb water and nutrients more efficiently. It comes as a powder, granule or gel. Add to the planting hole or container, and to the plant's rootball before planting in the hole. For "bareroot" plants use a gel.
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