Laurel hedge.....again!!!

Dannyboy69 · February 2017

We have been in our house almost 3 years and have a raised garden which wraps around our property due to the village being built on a hill. Along the back of the property we have a fence which we hate looking at daily and are preparing to plant a laurel hedge to maybe 6/7 foot height. We have started by digging down into the flower bed a good 8-10 inches to remove all the weeds and dead plants and are ready to do the prep work ready for planting. We are going to buy the bushes at maybe 3/4' and grow them to height ourselves. I am not scared of a bit of hard work or to trim the hedge 2,3 or even 4 times a year to get the perfect finish, but I was hoping someone could give me some advice on the prep work and looking after them after planting. I was just going to top the raised bed up with top soil and plant the bushes in amongst that, but once planted can you recommend feed, best time of year for planting etc. Me and my wife are amateur gardeners so any help is appreciated.

Fairygirl · June 2014

The prep is the most important thing Danny so you're starting out the right way . A good general fertiliser like Blood, Fish and Bone is ideal - sprinkle a bit in with your soil and some extra compost to give the plants a good start. Laurel will come in pots rather than bare root so you can plant any time of year unless the ground is frozen or very waterlogged. Plant about 2/3 feet apart as they get to a good size very quickly. I'd buy them no bigger than about 3' as they'll establish quicker and grow better than taller ones. Water in well - a good canful for each plant - and mulch with bark or compost afterwards to retain moisture, especially if you're planting soon. Keep the area weed free so that there's no competition for nutrients and water, and water well in dry spells until they get going. Stand back and watch them grow

Dannyboy69 · June 2014

Thanks fairygirl, some pretty good advice, I was wondering about mixing in some kind of feed but I wasn't sure what to go for. I was planning on planting them 2'/3' so I'm glad you've mentioned that. Will I just dig the holes for the laurel and remove them from the pots and put them straight in?? One more thing, the area we have to plant in is about 20 meter in length by 3' or so wide so we'll be keeping the bushes pretty narrow but what is the root spread like as they won't be planted far from a retainer wall.

Fairygirl · June 2014

The roots will spread roughly the same diameter as the top growth. I'd plant nearer the fence and let them grow out from that. Before you plant them, just give them a good watering so that the compost is nice and damp. Make the hole a bit bigger than the pot and backfill with compost when you put them in. They won't need clipping that often, and you can keep them more informal by pruning out individual stems rather than clipping in a solid shape.

viv15953 · February 2017

my husbands planted laurels about 2 years ago they haven't grown much,will trim them this spring but when is it to give them feed thank you

Dovefromabove · February 2017

I'd give them a feed with Fish, Blood and Bone any time now. Clear away any grass and weeds growing around them and mulch with organic matter after feeding.

It might be a good idea to cut them back a bit to encourage more shoots to spring into growth.

Laurel hedge.....again!!!

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