Laurels

The most commonly planted evergreen hedging there is. There are two main types of laurel commonly planted for hedging. The cherry laurel (Prunus Laurocerasus) and the Portuguese laurel (Prunus Lusitanica). Cherry laurel are the classic, big glossy leaved evergreen, seen everywhere. White flowers are followed by the big red cherry-like fruit in autumn. They are easy to grow and will put on about 12-16 inches of new growth each season. Portuguese laurel are much hardier and have a thinner and much darker green leaf. Hawthorne scented flower racemes have red turning black fruit in autumn. They also make a fabulous stand alone specimen and a hardy alternative to laurus noblis for pot planting. They grow a little slower than the cherry laurel and are, for some reason, not chosen enough for hedging.


Clipping Laurel

They are best clipped with a pair of sharp shears, but scale sometimes makes this un-practical. The problem with shears and hedge cutters is that it can spoil the look of those luxurious, glossy leaves, so after using these methods it is best to finish off by snipping out the leaves that have been cut through. It really just depends how fussy you are. Most just shear them in early autumn and turn a blind eye to the few tatty leaves.

Dislikes

Cherry laurels dislike being sat in waterlogged soil. Quite often they do not die, but instead sit looking miserable. If wet soil is a problem either pick something else or ramp up the planting bed to keep the roots up above the water table. This form of laurel is not happy in shallow chalky soil. You could pick the Portuguese laurel or dig out a trench of the chalky soil and incorporate a good helping of neutral soil.


Feeding laurels.
It is important to keep them growing if they have not reached the height required and, or, to maintain that beautiful green foliage. A generous feed of natural dung or pelleted chicken manure is recommended and best done in spring to really get them going for the season. Really this can be done any time and with any plant feed, but it is far easier to overdo the powdered artificial fertilizers. Always read the label or stick to the idiot proof aforementioned naturals.

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