Usually, cherry laurel grows very quickly and spreads quickly. Not so the Portuguese cherry laurel from the Iberian Peninsula - often referred to as Portuguese laurel - which grows slowly but upright and only rarely needs to be cut. The densely growing wood is not only very popular as a hedge plant, but also as a solitary plant in the garden and on the balcony. The Portuguese cherry laurel tolerates pruning very well.
The Portuguese laurel cherry should be cut once a year
Pruning only necessary once a year
On average, the Portuguese laurel cherry grows about 15 centimeters per year, while remaining quite narrow and growing nicely upright. For this reason, an annual pruning is sufficient, in which the individual shoots are shortened by about 10 centimeters. This makes the Mediterranean plant very suitable for a slender and easy-care hedge planting, although you need to be patient - due to the slow growth, it takes a few years for an opaque hedge to grow out of it.
The right time for a cut
In principle, you can cut the Portuguese laurel all year round, but you should leave the cutting tools where they are when it is frosty or very hot. However, spring or the time immediately after flowering is best for pruning.
How to cut the Portuguese laurel cherry
Cutting the Portuguese laurel cherry is not complicated. Simply shorten all branches and twigs by about 10 centimetres, but you should make sure that the cut is pyramid-shaped. This means the plant is wider at the bottom and tapers towards the top. In this way you ensure that all parts of the plant are sufficiently supplied with light and air. You should definitely wear gloves when cutting, as the Portuguese laurel cherry - like all cherry laurel plants - is very poisonous.
tips
If possible, only use mechanical cutting tools for cutting, which should also be freshly sharpened and clean. Electric hedge trimmers often leave unsightly cut edges, while blunt scissors tend to crush branches and twigs rather than cut them, causing unnecessary injury.