Laurel bushes
colinchecksfield44
Posts: 4
Hi, hopefully I've found a site that can offer some advice on my Laurel hedge. I have around 90 plants that are forming a barrier between my home and a public footpath. They were planted by a professional around 18 months ago and were approximately 6' from root to tip. During this time they have been fed, and trimmed 3 times. They now stand around 8' but dont seem to be thickening out which is why I chose this plant in the first place. It seems that every day I look at them they appear different in colour, thickness, amount of foliage. They have lost quite a lot of leaves in the last 2 months which then makes them look very sparse. I also have a climbing weed that flowers at ether top in the shape of a white horn. My question is, how can I get them to thicken out and what sort of care should I apply to keep them healthy And is this weed affecting them?
Posts
The weed sounds like bindweed. One way of dealing with it is to unravel it, lay it on the ground and treat it with weedkiller.
You might not like the next bit but to produce a thick laurel hedge cut it down to about a foot high. This will encourage much bushier growth and give you the thick hedge you want. It grows fast and would be back to 8 feet within a couple of years. This should have been done when the hedge was planted but maybe you were reluctant to lose an instant if inadequate 6 foot hedge at the start.
Hi Colin,
Your weed is probably Hedge Bindweed (Calystegia sepium).
It has pure white, trumpet-shaped flowers and large heart-shaped leaves. It climbs through hedgerows with strong, twining stems, scrambling over and often smothering plants of all sizes.
It will compete with your hedge for water, nutrients and light.
As a weed goes, it's a bit of a pain:
1) it spreads underground by its white, fleshy underground rhizomes, spreading outwards by up to 6' in a season.
2) its roots may penetrate the soil to a depth of around 16' or more.
3) the smallest sections of rhizome or root are capable of re-growth.
Pull out as much of the weed as possible and hoe regularly to prevent re-growth. In this way, the energy reserves in the roots/rhizomes will be gradually depleted and any growth will be weaker and easier to weed out. DO NOT COMPOST THE WEED WASTE OR LEAVE IT LYING ABOUT IN THE GARDEN OR IT WILL SIMPLY REGROW!
New hedges require formative pruning for their first few years.
With laurel, you should leave the leading shoot unpruned after planting, lightly trimming back any straggly side-shoots. In summer, trim the side-shoots and tie in the leader to a supporting cane as it grows. Stop the leading shoot at the desired height.
After that comes the maintenance pruning.
The hedge should be no thicker than 2', really. The hedge should be gently tapered on both sides so that the base is wider than the top and light can reach the bottom of the hedge.
PLEASE REMEMBER THAT ONLY SECATEURS OR HAND SHEARS SHOULD EVER BE USED ON LAUREL - NEVER A HEDGE TRIMMER!
Ensure that the hedge is kept well-watered for the first 2 years, until established. This is particularly important. To give a good soaking, you will need approximately the equivalent of 4 watering cans per sq yard.
Top-dress annually in spring with a general fertiliser, such as Growmore at a rate of 2 oz per sq yard, then mulch with well-rotted organic matter to a depth of 3", which will keep the roots insulated and moist, supply nutrients and suppress weeds.
Keep the hedge and 18" on either side as weed-free as possible.
I hope that this may prove of some help.
Snap - steephill!
I was going to write my views on planting so called 'instant' hedges, but thought they might not necessarily be well-received!
It's much better to buy plants 1-2' tall at the most and grow them on yourself to obtain a lovely bushy hedge - but in this case it's a bit late to be offering my opinion on that head I suppose!
Totally agree with Steephill and Pbff above.
You may like to read this thread http://www.gardenersworld.com/forum/plants/help-needed-please-with-laurel-hedge-issues/656523.html
documenting Befuddled's management of his new laurel hedge, which started out much as yours did, with plants around 6 ft tall. You'll see that cutting back encouraged the hedge to thicken up and increase its rate of growth - there are pictures.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Thankyou for all your advice on this matter. i had a closer look this morning and suspect the lack of leaves is down to "shot hole" or something similar. the pics attached may explain more to a professional
. I understand about trimming right back but the most l could do is about 2' as we need the privacy.
I will certainly take on board all the points raised and report back if things start to improve. If anyone can suggest a suitable fungicide or similar to tackle the shot hole id be grateful.
Not much available to us amateurs these days Colin but you could try Rose Clear. However, keeping an eye on it and regularly snipping off any affected shoots while ensuring it is fed and watered well is far more nature friendly will keep nearly all problems at bay. Laurel is tough stuff.
Many thanks Bob and I read the excellent link from Dovefromanove which has many suggestions and most relating to trimming, feeding and not worrying too much!