Topiary
Prunus lusitanica
Portuguese laurel
Glossy dark leaves on red stems and a smart, polished look. Prunus lusitanica topiary brings elegance to terraces, entrances and formal gardens.
Glossy, deep green evergreen leaves with red stalks
Classic for lollipop standards and domes
Tolerant of a wide range of soils, including chalk
Copes with sun or shade
Please check before you visit. Our nursery is very well stocked, but what we hold changes with the seasons, so this plant may not always be in stock. Enquire before you head over and we will check availability and the sizes we have for you.
At a glance
Type
Topiary
Foliage
Evergreen
Shapes
Standards (lollipops), domes, cones, cubes and bespoke forms
Growth rate
Moderate
Position
Full sun or partial shade
Soil
Most well-drained soils, including chalk
Pots or ground
Both, with regular watering in containers
Hardiness
Fully hardy in the UK
Available
Individually shaped pieces in a range of sizes. Ask our team for current shapes and pricing.
Why we love it
Portuguese laurel is the smart one of the laurel family. The leaves are a polished dark green on red stalks, more refined than cherry laurel, and it clips into generous, handsome shapes. Standards, with a clean stem and a round head, are hard to beat in pairs.
Choosing a shape
Put a pair of standards either side of a door or gateway, or line them along a path or drive. Large domes give weight and height above lower planting, and standards work beautifully in big pots on a terrace. Browse all our topiary domes for the larger pieces.
Planting and care
Plant from autumn to spring, or pot-grown plants at any time as long as you keep up the watering. Trim in spring, and again in late summer if it needs it. Use secateurs rather than shears where you can, because cut leaves can brown at the edges.
See it in person
Every plant at Form is hand-selected, none contains new peat, and nothing beats choosing yours by eye. Visit our Row Town showroom in Surrey, just 30 minutes from London, where our team will show you the best of what is on the nursery right now. We deliver across London, Surrey and the Home Counties, and nationwide.
Walk in any time during opening hours and you will be looked after. If you would like dedicated time with a specialist, book a Genus Bar appointment.
Frequently asked questions
-
Trim lightly once or twice a year, in spring and late summer. Secateurs give the neatest finish on large-leaved plants.
-
Yes. It does well in large containers in good compost, as long as it is watered regularly, especially in summer.
-
We keep a very well-stocked nursery, but our stock changes with the seasons, so availability varies. Please email us before you visit and we will check what we have and the sizes available.
-
Yes, and we recommend it. Every piece of topiary is hand-shaped, so no two are quite the same. Visit our Row Town showroom in Surrey to choose your pieces by eye. Walk in any time during opening hours, or book a Genus Bar appointment with one of our specialists.
-
Yes, we deliver nationwide. Deliveries are arranged by our dedicated in-house operations team, and larger pieces can be offloaded by HI-AB or Moffett where needed.
All our topiary
Explore every option in our topiary collection, or view them all with photographs →
Prunus lusitanica
Can’t see what you’re looking for?
Get in touch and we’ll help you find it. Our nursery is very well stocked and we can source almost any plant through our network of trusted growers. Email info@formplants.com, or send us your whole plant list through our bespoke sourcing service.