How can I encourage growth in the lower part of my portugese laurel hedge

Posts

• GardenerSuze Posts: 5,692

  October 2023

  @kevinponeill865469 I think this should have been done sometime ago. Your plants look mature. Cutting back hard is the way to force the plant into growing at the base.

  I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.

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• kevinponeill865469 Posts: 4

  October 2023

  Thanks I'll do that come Springtime.

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• Dovefromabove Posts: 88,147

  October 2023

  Cutting the hedge ‘to a batter’ in an ‘A’ shape will allow more sunlight to get to dormant shoots lower down and trigger them
  into growth.  

  
  

  More info here https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/types/hedges/renovation
  

  
  

  Remember hedges should only be cut between the beginning of September and the end of February to avoid disturbing nesting birds. 

  
  Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
  
  
  
  
  
  

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• Fairygirl Posts: 55,117

  October 2023

  Yes - it's really top heavy, so hard pruning as described by @Dovefromabove will help to solve that. You could take a good bit of the top growth away just now, to make a start on the shaping of it. 
  It's quite a common problem with all sorts of hedges. The advantage of laurel of any kind is that it will grow back from that treatment, unlike many of the conifers used as hedging, which won't regenerate from brown wood. 

  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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• kevinponeill865469 Posts: 4

  October 2023

  Brilliant advice.  Thank you

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