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Withered laurel bush - snow damage?

matthewkitsonmatthewkitson Posts: 2
in Plants
I have a laurel bush in my front garden which has been vigorous and healthy for several yeas. It has a flat top, and over the winter snow settled on it for several days. I noticed shortly after the snow had melted that the leaves on the top were not looking healthy, but put it down to being too cold under the snow. 

However, as time has gone on, the bush has looked less and less healthy, even leaves that had not been covered in snow have begun to wither and yellow. 

I looked online to see if this looked like a common affliction, but most of the diseases I read about involve blotchy/spotty leaves, rather than the wholescale withering I'm seeing.

Can anyone help me identify what's wrong with this bush? 







Here's a comparison of a withered leaf, and one of the healthier ones I could find on the rest of the bush



Any help greatly appreciated. 

Thanks. 

Posts

  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 10,576
    edited April 2023
    I think that's Choysia not laurel. If so, it can suffer some cold damage. It should be starting to make some new growth from lower down so you can cut back the damaged bits (maybe wait a bit if you have hard frost forecast). You'll probably not get any flowers this year - mine is budding now.
    PS welcome to the forum :)
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    I agree - Choysia not laurel. 
    Snow isn't a problem - it's the freeze/thaw cycle that's caused the damage. depending on where you are ,Choysias can often get winter damage, and it's just a case of cutting back as @JennyJ describes, when it's milder.  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 10,576
    It could be the variety "Sundance" (which mine is). I think it's more common than the plain green one. If so, the yellow colour is as it should be. It's greener where it's more shaded. Here's mine for comparison.
    I don't clip it like yours but I prune it by taking out a few older branches and shortening any that are making it too wide, after flowering (so early - mid summer).


    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
  • matthewkitsonmatthewkitson Posts: 2
    Thanks for such quick replies! 

    > I think that's Choysia not laurel
    > I agree - Choysia not laurel.
    Thanks for the identification. The bush was established when we moved in, so I've never really had to work out what it was before. 

    Sounds like it's frost damage then. I'll try trimming it back and hope that it recovers over the spring. 

    > It could be the variety "Sundance" ... Here's mine for comparison.
    Yes; that looks very similar. I managed to find a photo of the bush in happier days, and it looks very much like yours. 



    Thanks to both of you for your help. It's seemed pretty hardy in the past, so hopefully it will bounce back again soon :)
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    It should be fine @matthewkitson - the yellow ones are a bit less sturdy than the green ones.
    They usually suffer a fair bit in winter up here, but in milder parts they're fine, so it'll just have been a case of the weather being a bit harsher for it in your area this year.  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
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