@Thenewgardener This is exactly 3 years after planting. It’s now kept at 6’ tall and 5’ wide. Don’t be afraid to cut them back, they’ll reward you for it. I would take the stakes away though, let them grow free.
Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor.
@Lyn these look great! Thanks for the advice. Is now a good time to cut them down? I am thinking of getting out there this weekend (weather permitting)
The leaves on our laurel hedge have holes on them from being eaten and have brown patches. If we were to cut down to e.g. 3 feet, would the affected leaves below that point somehow recover e.g. fill in their holes and go fully green again (he says hopefully)? Or is that nonsense? Our hedge is 8 foot tall and looked brill until last year when suddenly got attacked by something.
I have read every page & what a great read seeing results.
I have purchased some laurel Hedging from a local farmer on Facebook. I had 28 plants ranging from 3ft & above & were dug up around his farm. I have planted these in some manure & premium compost, also added some shredded wood chippings for mulch as I had to get rid of a lot of brambles post planting. .Some are long & leggy with only leaves at the top. Others have few leaves all the way up the stem. They have been in a week with me.
Now seeing all the posts I know I need to cut then back so have few questions.....
1. Where should I cut down to? Especially the ones that are just mostly bare wood with only leaves at top. Will these shoot?
2. Can I cut these now or is it a risk with chances of frost? I'm bit nervous of the frost but also nervous of the two days of high wind & rain coming tomorrow
3. Have I planted them too close to the tree in middle ?
Thank you in advance, really feel like I'm in the right place after a week of panic
What a brilliant thread. It is so nice that people have kept up the pictures and progress of their hedges. I too came across it while researching what to do with my juvenile hedge.
I now actually have hedge regret and realise I have planted something that is far too big for my space! So I am here in hope of getting advice on keeping it slim trim but bushy when it gets going.
So here it is planted a week ago. I am planning on moving them away from the path a little, will that be ok to dig them up so soon after planting?
Hi all, I thought I would post a quick update on my laurels. I posted on here in February 2021 for a bit of advice, you can see the original images below:
I cut them down a bit (almost in half) and they have started to thicken out. Most of the growth has appeared in the last three weeks so it's starting to look promising.
I hope to get some more images through the summer, as the garden isn't very accessible at the minute.
Can any one offer any advice on thickening out the bottom? Some of the trees (you can see on the far right) were planted at larger intervals so I am considering planting some smaller laurels (5 litre pots 60cm tall) just to fill in the gaps, but I'm worried digging new holes will disturb the already established root network of the others?
Posts
I would take the stakes away though, let them grow free.
I was directed here from a discussion I started.
I have read every page & what a great read seeing results.
I have purchased some laurel Hedging from a local farmer on Facebook. I had 28 plants ranging from 3ft & above & were dug up around his farm. I have planted these in some manure & premium compost, also added some shredded wood chippings for mulch as I had to get rid of a lot of brambles post planting.
.Some are long & leggy with only leaves at the top. Others have few leaves all the way up the stem. They have been in a week with me.
Now seeing all the posts I know I need to cut t
1. Where should I cut down to? Especially the ones that are just mostly bare wood with only leaves at top. Will these shoot?
2. Can I cut these now or is it a risk with chances of frost? I'm bit nervous of the frost but also nervous of the two days of high wind & rain coming tomorrow
3. Have I planted them too close to the tree in middle ?
Thank you in advance, really feel like I'm in the right place after a week of panic
I now actually have hedge regret and realise I have planted something that is far too big for my space! So I am here in hope of getting advice on keeping it slim trim but bushy when it gets going.
So here it is planted a week ago. I am planning on moving them away from the path a little, will that be ok to dig them up so soon after planting?
I look forward to sharing the progress.
I cut them down a bit (almost in half) and they have started to thicken out. Most of the growth has appeared in the last three weeks so it's starting to look promising.
I hope to get some more images through the summer, as the garden isn't very accessible at the minute.
Can any one offer any advice on thickening out the bottom? Some of the trees (you can see on the far right) were planted at larger intervals so I am considering planting some smaller laurels (5 litre pots 60cm tall) just to fill in the gaps, but I'm worried digging new holes will disturb the already established root network of the others?
Thoughts welcome.