Is a laurel hedge a good idea?
When it comes to finding an evergreen hedge that’s easy to look after and maintain, Planting a Laurel Hedge is a very popular choice. The best hedging plants are usually the ones that grow well in most conditions with minimal problems and ease of maintenance. It is worth taking a couple of inches (5cm) off all the shoots (new branches) on your laurel plants when you plant them. Do this again in March and June until they reach the height you require. This will ensure your plants grow bushy and not tall and thin.Laurel can be trimmed or pruned to the height you require and, if it grows too big, it can be cut back as hard as you like – right back to the stump if necessary – and it will re-grow quickly into a new hedge.English laurel (or Cherry Laurel) can make an enormous fast-growing hedge. Under the right conditions, it can grow up to 3 feet per year!Leaves will turn yellow and fall off relatively quickly if newly planted laurel are not watered enough during the growing season (normally March to October). Check how wet the soil is by pushing your hand into the soil or rootball of the plant every few days.
Can laurel be cut back hard?
The height can be reduced drastically by several metres if necessary (even taking the plants back to stumps), although the work can be split over a couple of seasons if you are cutting the height back by more than one third. Start by reducing the height using a taught string line to keep it level. The height can be reduced drastically by several metres if necessary (even taking the plants back to stumps), although the work can be split over a couple of seasons if you are cutting the height back by more than one third.
When not to cut laurel hedges?
Laurel hedging can be cut back quite far, as long as you avoid doing so in the winter months when frost can damage the plant if there are newly cut edges. Powdery Mildew This is a fungal Laurel hedging disease that appears as a white powdery coating on the surface of the leaves. As the fungus develops, the underlying leaf tissue will turn brown and die and the young leaves can often be left with holes, brown patches and ‘tatty’ edges to them.Leaf Spot Fungus and Bacterial Shot hole disease are common laurel hedge problems that can cause discoloration and damage to affected leaves.
How to thicken a laurel hedge?
General hedge advice: clip the tops early on to encourage them to thicken up. Don’t be afraid to clip any thin part of the hedge once established. Clip the tips of branches around and gaps and thin sections. Pull and tuck in some branches horizontally, especially at near the bottom and across thin areas or gaps. Begin pruning at one end of the hedge and work towards the other end in small sections, taking care not to remove more than 1/3rd of any given branch at once so as not to shock the plant with too much change all at once.Regular side pruning can help shape the laurel hedge and promote a denser hedge and increase vertical growth.Cherry Laurel is a hugely popular vigorous, dense evergreen hedge with large glossy bright green leaves that is perfect for reducing road noise and providing privacy.If your Laurel tree or hedge is outgrowing its space then it is possible to prune it back to bare wood and it will regrow. This new growth if regularly trimmed will create dense foliage overtime.
How do you revive a dying laurel?
Cut back damaged or diseased growth — The first step in reviving your Laurel hedge is pruning any damaged, diseased, or dead wood to prevent spreading disease and pests while encouraging new growth. The Indian Laurel can grow to an impressive height of up to 40-60 feet. Most homeowners choose to maintain their hedges at heights of 10-20 feet.Ideally, the best times for pruning Laurel Hedges are in Spring, before the growth in the Summer, or in Autumn, leaving enough time for the damaged branches to heal before the Winter kicks in.To prune laurel to encourage growth, we’d recommend trimming the branches and cutting them back several times a year (depending on how fast it grows) by up to a quarter. This makes the bush come back bushier and thicker than before more rapidly.Ideal For Hedges: 1. Growth Rate: Average to Fast | 30-60cm a year. Position: Normal or dry soil, sun or full shade, exposed inland. Other gardeners also considered; Other Laurel hedge plants, Portuguese Laurel, Spotted Laurel, Compact Laurel for smaller gardens and Photinia hedging with red foliage.