@Lyn i'm anxious about even having these in between myself and my neighbours now. There's lots of gardens in the area that have lovely laurel hedges that look very well maintained and tidy so I thought it would be a nice idea to create some privacy, quickly.
I also looked on here at other forums and people were planting them in even smaller spaces than what I have between myself and the neighbour.
When you say a 'few years' in your two posts, what are you classing as a few years? And do you advice against laurel now because of the maintenance of it and how big it can get? I think your hedge looks lovely.
They take a couple of years to settle in and establish, then they'll grow at around a foot, to two or three feet a year, height and width, depending on how good the soil is, and how much rain/warmth you get. If you keep them pruned from the early stages, you can keep them at a decent sort of height and width, but it does come down to your climate and conditions as to how well, and how quickly they grow. Most plants are the same in that regard.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
@Planting_Lizzie , before you put new plants in the space between the two drives, check the depth of the soil there. Footings for paved areas often extend beyond the actual area of paving, and in a space like that I wouldn't be at all surprised if the builders laid the hardcore/sub-base all the way across with just a thin layer of soil between the two areas of block paving.
Here's a pic (from this site https://www.pavingexpert.com/bpvseq01) showing the concrete haunching for a block-paved drive under construction - you can see that it extends something like one to two blocks length into the area that would be infilled with soil.
Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
If the site was full of stones, bricks etc, and only compost was added [as per that previous post 2 days ago by the OP] they just wouldn't thrive readily. They'd need some decent soil, and plenty of it, so that moisture's retained well enough, for the reasons many of us have given re the paving/footings. Even then, it could take a long time for them to establish well.
@JennyJ's photo shows how easy it can be to underestimate the viability of the growing medium.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I've taken out the plants from the left hand side near the fence. Roots looked strong and healthy, I think I may have gotten too much water on the leaves and the freeze winds we've been having this winter have caused the foliage to go brown unfortunately. Hopefully taking off the leaves and cutting them back will encourage new growth and I can use them elsewhere.
The right hand side - about 3 plants between me and my neighbour look good but the rest don't look great (I'll post a pic). Nursery has said they can send me thirty 30cm tall potted Portuguese laurel for free instead as they have no more cherry laurel left to replace. I choose the cherry laurel for quick growth and I would like the privacy asap but seems like Portuguese laurel might actually be a more sensible choice?
Luckily the space between myself and my neighbour is at least 60cm deep - it had plenty of soil already in there and i added as much compost as i could to the area too to improve the soil. Yes, when I was turning the soil over there was some random loose bricks and stones in there, probably the builders trying to get rid in a convenient way to them so I removed those, obviously before planting.
We're definitely prepared to keep the hedging in good shape and not let it get overgrown whether that's Portuguese or cherry
Does anybody have any advice on how close / how not close laurels can be planted to the house?
I followed a 3-foot rule last time from a google search but if anybody has any other suggestions please let me know. Bearing in mind it will be well maintained, probably to a 2 metre height.
Re water on leaves @Planting_Lizzie - that's not necessarily a problem but when you water any plant, it should be aimed in at the base, not done from overhead. That ensures the roots get the water. Watering overhead, especially something like laurel, with it's leathery leaves, means that a lot of the water is just dispersed rather than going where it should. That will have been a bigger factor on those ones by the fence, where the ground would also play a part. Deep watering every few days is always the method, not a light sprinkle every day, so that roots get down, rather than staying near the surface. However, cutting back to relieve stress on the plants, is ideal. All evergreens will also drop leaves and have some browning ones - that's all normal. Laurel shrugs off ice and snow, so that's not a problem either. I have laurel within 6 feet of the house - not a problem. It's a common hedge plant here. Portuguese laurel is also popular, and it's easier to keep tight as a hedge because of it's general nature and habit. Re spacing - again that comes down to conditions. There are lots of laurel hedges round here which are planted pretty close, but our climate and soil suits them, so it doesn't really pose a problem. In poorer conditions, giving them more room is better, so that there's less competition. All shrubs, and hedging, take a couple of years to settle in and start growing. Then, assuming the conditions are right for them, you'll get annual growth of around a foot to two or three feet, again depending on your climate and conditions. Buying larger specimens isn't the answer either, as many people have found out, because they take far longer to establish, and need more attention while that happens. I can understand you want privacy quickly, but there's no quick solution other than a fence.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Posts
Thank you
If you keep them pruned from the early stages, you can keep them at a decent sort of height and width, but it does come down to your climate and conditions as to how well, and how quickly they grow. Most plants are the same in that regard.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
And this is picture of my bottom
I play with plants and soil and sometimes it's successful
@JennyJ's photo shows how easy it can be to underestimate the viability of the growing medium.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
However, cutting back to relieve stress on the plants, is ideal. All evergreens will also drop leaves and have some browning ones - that's all normal. Laurel shrugs off ice and snow, so that's not a problem either. I have laurel within 6 feet of the house - not a problem. It's a common hedge plant here. Portuguese laurel is also popular, and it's easier to keep tight as a hedge because of it's general nature and habit.
Re spacing - again that comes down to conditions. There are lots of laurel hedges round here which are planted pretty close, but our climate and soil suits them, so it doesn't really pose a problem. In poorer conditions, giving them more room is better, so that there's less competition.
All shrubs, and hedging, take a couple of years to settle in and start growing. Then, assuming the conditions are right for them, you'll get annual growth of around a foot to two or three feet, again depending on your climate and conditions. Buying larger specimens isn't the answer either, as many people have found out, because they take far longer to establish, and need more attention while that happens.
I can understand you want privacy quickly, but there's no quick solution other than a fence.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...