that previous poster has given instructions to grow them as trees, you did well by chopping them back, you have the hedge you wanted. They are looking fantastic now.
Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor.
Hi Befuddled, The conditions in the front may be very different from the back, also I noticed it is much more exposed in the front and the rear has the fence as a wind shield which is very important when trying to establish any new growth.
A slimy barrier is exactly what you want to create to hold in moisture for the plants but please remember to add the organic manure first. Size is everything as that is what you are after 8-9 foot. I live in the midlands so its very much a mixed bag of weather but no different than most area in the UK except the extreme north of Scotland or extreme south, I assume you do not live either of those.
I moved in 2015 in June so I had missed the big start of the growing season but they were twigs in the ground with a few leaves that were yellow and brown and with this method it only took a season and a half to get a 9 foot hedge.
Just to clarify, it is about 5 feet thick in most places too so folks don't knock it til you try it. The aim is to get it to your desired height , once it is just above where you want it then just trim in those few inches and maintain it at that height. Believe me the laurel wants to grow so even though you let it shoot up to this height quickly , it will start to fill out that last little bit, just keep clipping those few inches off and taper it in. You will have the height and the thickness. Trust me.
I may get the chance to take some more photos during the week. Your hedge looks really good, all I am saying is that with my method , it was like that in half a season, so from June 2015-September 2015. From around 1 foot to over 7 in places, I could not believe it myself that in just a few months that the hedge would have grown beyond my desired height so I had to nip a few inches off in places.
Oh and two more tips if I may: As nice as the flowers are, get rid until you reach your goal as they will only consume lots of the plants energy instead of putting it into growing your branches and leaves.
Also walk around every few days with a small pruner and snip off any yellow or fading leaves as they too are drawing energy from the plant instead of using that energy for growth. As soon as you loose each dying leaf , you will gain 10-15 more in its place.
For me living next to a main road, it was important that I could have both privacy and a thick hedge to drown out the noise. Now I have just that in a season and a half of growth, Even truck cabs cannot see in and I can actually, completely enjoy this summer season.
In Conclusion, I think some people have fanic attacks when a branch shoots up and seems a little leggy but with the right nutrition and nurturing it will fill out without cutting it back all the time. I had the exact same advice regarding cutting back from many people and I choose to ignore it, however I took on advice from other places and people regarding the nourishment and nurturing aspect as well as figuring out one or two things myself and I am very happy I went this route.
As they say ''the proof is in the pudding''.
Next spring I look forward to the sweet smelling flowers and leaving them alone as my work here is done. Look I said I would throw you and Peter a penny's worth of my own experience and maybe ye can take something from it.
My baby is all grown up now and I am super happy with it.
EE must have had Divine Intervention, 9' high and 5' wide in 18 months from almost dead twigs, that's some going.
As you say Fairy, we've all been doing it wrong obviously. I hope the poster continues to give us these pearls of wisdom for other plants, we need someone with a bit of knowledge on the site.?
Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor.
Quite so Lyn, in fact, maybe I should tell the people down the road from me. They bought the house about five years ago and the sellers had a smashing, healthy three foot laurel hedge along the roadside boundary. To create privacy ( and to help their sale) they 'installed' a hedge along the side consisting of a row of five foot , slim specimens, which have got yellower over the years, while the other one stays beautifully green.
The hedge along the road still looks great, is now about eight to ten feet high, and about four feet wide. The other one however - still looks the same - like a heap of sh**e
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Posts
that previous poster has given instructions to grow them as trees, you did well by chopping them back, you have the hedge you wanted. They are looking fantastic now.
Another case of 'size isn't everything' , wouldn't you say Lyn
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
I couldn't possibly comment? Well, maybe I could?
Hi Befuddled, The conditions in the front may be very different from the back, also I noticed it is much more exposed in the front and the rear has the fence as a wind shield which is very important when trying to establish any new growth.
A slimy barrier is exactly what you want to create to hold in moisture for the plants but please remember to add the organic manure first. Size is everything as that is what you are after 8-9 foot. I live in the midlands so its very much a mixed bag of weather but no different than most area in the UK except the extreme north of Scotland or extreme south, I assume you do not live either of those.
I moved in 2015 in June so I had missed the big start of the growing season but they were twigs in the ground with a few leaves that were yellow and brown and with this method it only took a season and a half to get a 9 foot hedge.
Just to clarify, it is about 5 feet thick in most places too so folks don't knock it til you try it. The aim is to get it to your desired height , once it is just above where you want it then just trim in those few inches and maintain it at that height. Believe me the laurel wants to grow so even though you let it shoot up to this height quickly , it will start to fill out that last little bit, just keep clipping those few inches off and taper it in. You will have the height and the thickness. Trust me.
I may get the chance to take some more photos during the week. Your hedge looks really good, all I am saying is that with my method , it was like that in half a season, so from June 2015-September 2015. From around 1 foot to over 7 in places, I could not believe it myself that in just a few months that the hedge would have grown beyond my desired height so I had to nip a few inches off in places.
Oh and two more tips if I may: As nice as the flowers are, get rid until you reach your goal as they will only consume lots of the plants energy instead of putting it into growing your branches and leaves.
Also walk around every few days with a small pruner and snip off any yellow or fading leaves as they too are drawing energy from the plant instead of using that energy for growth. As soon as you loose each dying leaf , you will gain 10-15 more in its place.
For me living next to a main road, it was important that I could have both privacy and a thick hedge to drown out the noise. Now I have just that in a season and a half of growth, Even truck cabs cannot see in and I can actually, completely enjoy this summer season.
In Conclusion, I think some people have fanic attacks when a branch shoots up and seems a little leggy but with the right nutrition and nurturing it will fill out without cutting it back all the time. I had the exact same advice regarding cutting back from many people and I choose to ignore it, however I took on advice from other places and people regarding the nourishment and nurturing aspect as well as figuring out one or two things myself and I am very happy I went this route.
As they say ''the proof is in the pudding''.
Next spring I look forward to the sweet smelling flowers and leaving them alone as my work here is done.
Look I said I would throw you and Peter a penny's worth of my own experience and maybe ye can take something from it.
My baby is all grown up now and I am super happy with it.
It sounds fantastic, but we need to see some pics. Go get snapping!
What they actually say is "the proof of the pudding is in the eating" but hey ho.
Good hedge Befuddled.
A lot of effing right enough - I was thinking the same thing...
oh - you're talking about your quote Eric's Mum. I had something else in mind....
Yes - clearly we've all been doing it the wrong way all these years.
Long may you enjoy your hedge befuddled.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
EE must have had Divine Intervention, 9' high and 5' wide in 18 months from almost dead twigs, that's some going.
As you say Fairy, we've all been doing it wrong obviously. I hope the poster continues to give us these pearls of wisdom for other plants, we need someone with a bit of knowledge on the site.?
Quite so Lyn, in fact, maybe I should tell the people down the road from me. They bought the house about five years ago and the sellers had a smashing, healthy three foot laurel hedge along the roadside boundary. To create privacy ( and to help their sale) they 'installed' a hedge along the side consisting of a row of five foot , slim specimens, which have got yellower over the years, while the other one stays beautifully green.
The hedge along the road still looks great, is now about eight to ten feet high, and about four feet wide. The other one however - still looks the same - like a heap of sh**e
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...