Laurel Problem

Wolftown

Afternoon folks,

I've 5 laurels that I planted over a year ago, and 2 of them are starting to show an issue. They were planted about 1.5m apart from each other and were approximately 1.6m in height when planted.

When planting, I mixed the existing soil with compost and have treated them to poultry manure on occasion, although not recently.

The plants that are suffering seem to have lost a lot of leaves at the end of each branch/twig. Actually, I'm not even sure if the leaves even grew in the first place. I can see the 'buds' where I'd have expected leaves to grow from.

I'll try attach a pic. Any advice welcome.

Wolftown

Pics below

looksee

I'll say upfront that I don't have much experience of laurel, so wait and see if you get any other advice before acting!

Those stems look like flowering stems and its possible there were not any leaves. I don't think they usually grow like that but my instinct would be to cut them back down at the base of the stem. Cherry laurel will not have any problems with being cut back and it could improve the shrubs. It looks a bit - its hard to see - as though you have not cut them back at all? You need to be shaping and controlling them or they will grow into huge straggly bushes with not much cover at the base. Its tempting to let them grow because you want the height, but they will be better for being cut back.

(I tried to get this point about cutting hedges over to a relative, but no, he wanted them to grow, so they were left. After about 5 years the scruffy, straggly bushes had to be taken out!)

Reckless Abandonment

I'm in the same boat as looksee don't know much about them. But they do look healthy
If they are recently planted them might just need time to get going

Wolftown

looksee wrote: »

I'll say upfront that I don't have much experience of laurel, so wait and see if you get any other advice before acting!

Those stems look like flowering stems and its possible there were not any leaves. I don't think they usually grow like that but my instinct would be to cut them back down at the base of the stem. Cherry laurel will not have any problems with being cut back and it could improve the shrubs. It looks a bit - its hard to see - as though you have not cut them back at all? You need to be shaping and controlling them or they will grow into huge straggly bushes with not much cover at the base. Its tempting to let them grow because you want the height, but they will be better for being cut back.

(I tried to get this point about cutting hedges over to a relative, but no, he wanted them to grow, so they were left. After about 5 years the scruffy, straggly bushes had to be taken out!)

Thanks for the reply. You are right, I have not cut them back at all. I thought giving them a year or so to settle would be best.

Will have to trim them back so, can that be done any time of year? What would be normal to take off? 6 inches?

Thanks

cuculainn

Wolftown wrote: »

Thanks for the reply. You are right, I have not cut them back at all. I thought giving them a year or so to settle would be best.

Will have to trim them back so, can that be done any time of year? What would be normal to take off? 6 inches?

Thanks

1.6m is a big bush to be planting so probably is in need of good pruning as other posters have said, if left unchecked (which at 1.6m probably was already left unchecked) will grow very ungainly.
I'm no expert, but laurels can be pruned fairly hard, but not this time of year,
I would wait until after the risk of frost has passed and prune/shape the trees.
You could take 6 inches or so off them and see how they respond, and then if needed, prune again in the backend of the summer (Aug/Sep) and get them down low enough to be forming side shoots low down to keep the shape.

Wolftown

That sounds like a plan, will probably trim them end of Feb or early March and keep an eye throughout the rest of the year.

Thanks for the reply

looksee

You can trim them now but I agree waiting until next month would be better. At that stage you can cut them back sufficiently to improve their shape overall.

I checked up on Laurel but I was fairly confident that it is one of the shrubs that can be cut back significantly and will grow a new, bushy hedge from the bottom. I would go more than 6 inches. Maybe cut down significantly branches that are reaching into the garden, and trim down the top about a foot. You will only lose height for barely a season as cutting them back encourages new growth and will improve them in appearance. You could cut it back to a stump and it will regrow, though that is not necessary in this case.

Cutting back the forward facing branches will give more new shoots facing you so the hedge is thicker and clothed further down. Look down the stems for the little marks that show that a bud will form then leave a couple of those and cut above them. I reckon Laurel will produce new shoots regardless though.

Just be aware that cutting laurel produces toxic gas though and the leaves and wood are toxic, so don't let children play with the cuttings, for example. https://homeguides.sfgate.com/toxicity-cherry-laurel-humans-86008.html#:~:text=All%20parts%20of%20the%20cherry,death%20within%20hours%20of%20ingestion.
https://www.hopesgrovenurseries.co.uk/knowledge-base/are-laurel-hedges-poisonous/

ElectronicFur

In my experience you can cut laurel back as much as you want and they will grow back vigorously as Looksee said.

I have a lot of laurel hedge here. Some were very overgrown, and I've cut them back at various levels, some right down to the base, without any problems. The ones cut to the base had grown back to 1m after a year.

I found out from photos some of my hedges are almost 200 years old, and I can see they have been cut back vigorously in the past as some stumps are more than 15cm wide. I've cut mine all year round.

Wolftown

Thanks for all the feedback folks, I'll try and be liberal when trimming. I'm looking for more height and width which is why I don't want to go over the top as it'll take so long to grow back!

looksee

It really won't increase the time growing back, cut it back and it will grow faster and better, its absolutely the commonest mistake with hedges to think you will get a better hedge by not cutting it.

Hocus Focus

Looks to me like something is eating the leaves.

That's cherry laurel. It needs to be cut back by up to a third in May, just after flowering, including in the first year. You can be brutal with laurel, but it's a very high maintenance hedge that requires a lot of cutting and tends to take over.

Looks like you let it flower without cutting it back which effects the form of the plants and doesn't encourage the growth of a proper hedge, but it'll be grand if you cut back hard at the right time this year.

Cutting off the leggy growth at the top liberally will ensure it grows back higher and fuller.

Wolftown

[Deleted User] wrote: »

That's cherry laurel. It needs to be cut back by up to a third in May, just after flowering, including in the first year. You can be brutal with laurel, but it's a very high maintenance hedge that requires a lot of cutting and tends to take over.

Looks like you let it flower without cutting it back which effects the form of the plants and doesn't encourage the growth of a proper hedge, but it'll be grand if you cut back hard at the right time this year.

Cutting off the leggy growth at the top liberally will ensure it grows back higher and fuller.

Thanks. Will be sure to give them a decent trim. Would I get away with doing it earlier, say mid March?

Wondering what the drawbacks would be, as I'd like to get them done asap.

km79

[Deleted User] wrote: »

That's cherry laurel. It needs to be cut back by up to a third in May, just after flowering, including in the first year. You can be brutal with laurel, but it's a very high maintenance hedge that requires a lot of cutting and tends to take over.

Looks like you let it flower without cutting it back which effects the form of the plants and doesn't encourage the growth of a proper hedge, but it'll be grand if you cut back hard at the right time this year.

Cutting off the leggy growth at the top liberally will ensure it grows back higher and fuller.

This !
I planted around 100 of them in our old house. They shoot up and look well but are a LOT of work .
Cut them back well at start of every summer . Another trim late September as they can become untidy looking again .
Keep them to a manageable height. I let them get too tall and it was a pain .
I also did them all with hand clippers as I’m a sadist

km79

Wolftown wrote: »

Thanks. Will be sure to give them a decent trim. Would I get away with doing it earlier, say mid March?

Wondering what the drawbacks would be, as I'd like to get them done asap.

That’s a bit too soon. If it’s mild enough you close get going mid April /start of May

Wolftown

Wolftown wrote: »

Thanks. Will be sure to give them a decent trim. Would I get away with doing it earlier, say mid March?

Wondering what the drawbacks would be, as I'd like to get them done asap.

As above, they are just waking up now so you need to allow them to grow for a few months.

Wait until May when there is plenty of new growth. It sounds counter-intuitive, but you need to cut them back after they have grown to promote more growth.

Wolftown

[Deleted User] wrote: »

As above, they are just waking up now so you need to allow them to grow for a few months.

Wait until May when there is plenty of new growth. It sounds counter-intuitive, but you need to cut them back after they have grown to promote more growth.

Perfect, thanks a mill. Will just have to put up with their current state until then!

Wolftown

[Deleted User] wrote: »

That's cherry laurel. It needs to be cut back by up to a third in May, just after flowering, including in the first year. You can be brutal with laurel, but it's a very high maintenance hedge that requires a lot of cutting and tends to take over.

Looks like you let it flower without cutting it back which effects the form of the plants and doesn't encourage the growth of a proper hedge, but it'll be grand if you cut back hard at the right time this year.

Cutting off the leggy growth at the top liberally will ensure it grows back higher and fuller.

Just coming back to this, when you say cut by a third do you mean a third of the new growth?

I assume this is the case, as a third of the branch would mean I'm cutting off all of the new growth!

looksee

Don't worry about cutting off new growth (on some plants, including laurel) it will quickly grow again. I have cut buddleia, privet and others down literally to stumps and it comes back better for it. Its a process known as coppicing https://www.furlongertreeservices.co.uk/coppicing/ see pictures. You don't have to be as total as that but you can if you wish. Cherry Laurel is Prunus laurocerasus, though why you would want to harvest it I am not sure. Be aware it is poisonous.

ElectronicFur

I found it's worth harvesting the logs. Just installed a wood stove, but I saved a load of logs I cut over the last 2 years. And I can report that seasoned Cherry Laurel burns very well. It dries pretty quickly for such a dense timber.