The hedge may come away, but it might not. If the prep was poor, they can still struggle despite being tough as old boots. It's all about what the soil is like, and what care it then has. It doesn't sound as if the prep was anything like ideal, and feeding them really isn't a good idea. Adding organic matter is the best way -comppost, leaf mould, rotted manure etc, and ensuring they have enough moisture. Against a wall like that can be very dry, depending on the aspect, and the climate, as well as the timing of planting.
If the lawn was prepped and seeded in very hot weather, and then had insufficient watering, it's probably still struggling, even the bits that are still alive. This is probably a good time to renovate, depending on where you are. That's what matters most with any plant - location and climate
So they certainly have enough moisture as there isn’t much obstructions by the wall or nearby to prevent it, yep they have been given manure and compost to help. It was maybe Mar 2023. When they were planted.
Would it be too early to prune them? Given they are struggling, I don’t want to stress them anymore than they are.
And would it maybe be worth putting a bed of compost fully around the base of them the whole length of the hedge?
Yep the lawn will be addressed in coming weeks for sure, the parts that are healthy are very healthy with good thick growth, so at least it’s a bit of a sign not all is lost yet.
Have you got a close up of some of the hedge? It's impossible to advise properly when I really can't see it. There should have been a good border dug out the full length of the area you wanted to put whips/plants into - at least a couple of feet in depth [ie front to back] and that should have had a good mix of soil/compost and anything else organic added to ensure a good start. Roots should have been teased out if necessary [assuming they were potted plants rather than bare root] Ideally, further applications of mulch would have been added, after thorough watering, which would benefit it enormously, especially when being planted at that time of year and if you're in a drier area. Walls have footings which can impact the health and ability of plants to thrive.
I'm not saying the hedge won't be fine, but it's not possible to see it well enough to say one way or another. Because of the conditions and climate I have here, I can literally dig a hole and stick a shrub, hedge or tree in it here in my site, at almost any time of year, and barely need to water it in, but that doesn't mean it's that easy everywhere in the UK.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Here you go! Sorry I couldn’t get them to post in a reply.. (ignore the fence posts, they are strategically placed to hide a soaker hose from the dog!!)
My first thought is, they're planted very very close to the wall and very close to each other, no room for outward growth. Laurel hedging wants to grow quite wide as well as tall. My second (related) thought is that there might be lime from mortar or render, as well as the foundations of the wall, in the soil there. Lime can cause chlorosos (yellowing) and the wall footings could be restricting root growth, and the soil near the base of a wall is usually quite dry.
Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
My first thought is, they're planted very very close to the wall and very close to each other, no room for outward growth. Laurel hedging wants to grow quite wide as well as tall. My second (related) thought is that there might be lime from mortar or render, as well as the foundations of the wall, in the soil there. Lime can cause chlorosos (yellowing) and the wall footings could be restricting root growth, and the soil near the base of a wall is usually quite dry.
Thank you, yep, they may have been planted close to the wall although they were put about a foot or more, same on the opposite side of my gate but those are doing quite well!! (Didn’t post photos of those). In this instance is it a just watch and wait and try keep good maintenance such as compost, fertiliser etc and hydration?
The soil around there is quite moist to be fair, especially with the constant rain we have in the mid west of Ireland ha
I'm afraid the prep is non existent for that hedging. There should have been a properly cleared border - all the grass removed, and then the soil attended to by adding some decent compost/manure to the whole area, and left until it had made a bit of a difference to the general soil structure. Just digging a hole and putting something into an unsuitable site, and hoping it'll be fine, will inevitably lead to problems, even with though plants like laurel. I only do that now if the soil has been improved. If you dig a hole here in unamanded areas, it's just solid sticky clay about 6 inches down. Nothing is happy in that for long. It's very likely that many of them are just in a sump, as you will probably have similar conditions to mine. New buildproperties are notorious for having a lot of rubbish and compacted ground, which also adds to the problem.
They'll possibly be ok, but it would have saved a lot of time and money in the long run to get the border in good shape first. All you can do is remove all that grass from around them, and keep adding compost or similar. The poorest ones could be lifted out, and replanted when the soil's in better shape
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I'm afraid the prep is non existent for that hedging. There should have been a properly cleared border - all the grass removed, and then the soil attended to by adding some decent compost/manure to the whole area, and left until it had made a bit of a difference to the general soil structure. Just digging a hole and putting something into an unsuitable site, and hoping it'll be fine, will inevitably lead to problems, even with though plants like laurel. I only do that now if the soil has been improved. If you dig a hole here in unamanded areas, it's just solid sticky clay about 6 inches down. Nothing is happy in that for long. It's very likely that many of them are just in a sump, as you will probably have similar conditions to mine. New buildproperties are notorious for having a lot of rubbish and compacted ground, which also adds to the problem.
They'll possibly be ok, but it would have saved a lot of time and money in the long run to get the border in good shape first. All you can do is remove all that grass from around them, and keep adding compost or similar. The poorest ones could be lifted out, and replanted when the soil's in better shape
At the time the hedge was planted, there was no grass seeded at. Each hole was dug maybe 1ft back from the wall and a good amount of fertiliser was added, but that was all the prep they did for it
If there was no grass seeded, then whoever did the seeding was very careless. However, it doesn't change what was done in terms of the planting of the hedging material. I'm afraid it's classic poor behaviour by non gardeners, unfortunately. As they're hedging plants and not stand alone specimens, the distance is fine.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Posts
It's impossible to advise properly when I really can't see it. There should have been a good border dug out the full length of the area you wanted to put whips/plants into - at least a couple of feet in depth [ie front to back] and that should have had a good mix of soil/compost and anything else organic added to ensure a good start. Roots should have been teased out if necessary [assuming they were potted plants rather than bare root]
Ideally, further applications of mulch would have been added, after thorough watering, which would benefit it enormously, especially when being planted at that time of year and if you're in a drier area.
Walls have footings which can impact the health and ability of plants to thrive.
I'm not saying the hedge won't be fine, but it's not possible to see it well enough to say one way or another. Because of the conditions and climate I have here, I can literally dig a hole and stick a shrub, hedge or tree in it here in my site, at almost any time of year, and barely need to water it in, but that doesn't mean it's that easy everywhere in the UK.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Just digging a hole and putting something into an unsuitable site, and hoping it'll be fine, will inevitably lead to problems, even with though plants like laurel. I only do that now if the soil has been improved. If you dig a hole here in unamanded areas, it's just solid sticky clay about 6 inches down. Nothing is happy in that for long. It's very likely that many of them are just in a sump, as you will probably have similar conditions to mine. New buildproperties are notorious for having a lot of rubbish and compacted ground, which also adds to the problem.
They'll possibly be ok, but it would have saved a lot of time and money in the long run to get the border in good shape first. All you can do is remove all that grass from around them, and keep adding compost or similar. The poorest ones could be lifted out, and replanted when the soil's in better shape
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
As they're hedging plants and not stand alone specimens, the distance is fine.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...