Late spring or early summer is the best time to trim most hedges including laurel and leylandii hedges. You can prune a laurel hedge with secateurs – which is not as labour-intensive as it sounds – or with a hedgetrimmer.
How hard can you cut back laurel?
Laurel can be trimmed or pruned to the height you require and, if it grows too big, it can be cut back as hard as you like – right back to the stump if necessary – and it will re-grow quickly into a new hedge.
What is the best month to cut a laurel hedge?
To encourage laurel growth, trim the hedge in July or August. But bare in mind that this hedge has large, tough leaves and is best trimmed using secateurs. Pruning of Laurel hedges can be performed at any time up until the end of summer. However, it’s best done in spring.
How do you prune an overgrown laurel bush?
Start by reducing the height using a taught string line to keep it level, the height can be reduced drastically by several metres if necessary (even taking the plants back to stumps) although the work can be split over a couple of seasons if you are cutting the height back by more than one third.
When should laurel be pruned? – Related Questions
How many times a year should you cut a laurel hedge?
Laurel is best trimmed two or three times a year as it is quite vigorous to keep it in shape. This is best done in June and then the new growth trimmed back in October or November.
Can you shape a laurel?
Remember to trim your laurel hedge into a sort of “A” shape, but with a flat top. A slight taper to a hedge – wider at the bottom than at the top – allows light and air to get to the lower branches, keeping them healthy and covered in leaf.
Can you cut a laurel hedge with a hedge cutter?
You can trim your laurel with shears, secateurs or a hedge trimmer. Many books will tell you to use secateurs because laurels have large leaves and the cut edges left by a hedge trimmer will leave them looking unkempt.
Can you keep a laurel hedge narrow?
I have moved into a house with a large laurel hedge, can I reduce the height of it? Yes, prune it hard back in late spring or early summer and it will re-shoot quickly. You can reduce the height and width of all types of laurel.
How do you make laurels bushier?
To prune laurel to encourage growth, we’d recommend trimming the branches and cutting them back several times a year (depending on how fast it grows) by up to a quarter. This makes the bush come back bushier and thicker than before more rapidly.
How high can a laurel hedge grow?
With beautifully developed, bushy mature foliage and a robust and well-established root structure, these instant Laurel hedging troughs once planted, will create a healthy, complete hedge for impressive impact. Laurel hedge heights are available from 1m up to 1. 75m for the ultimate impact.
When should you not cut a laurel hedge?
Laurel hedges may be trimmed at any time during the season but its best to avoid the coldest months of the year as the cut edges may be susceptible to frost damage. Many text books advise trimming Laurel hedging plants with secateurs to avoid cut edges to the large leaves, it really isn’t necessary.
What is the lifespan of a laurel?
It has a life span of approximately 50 years. Laurel Oak thrives in either full sun or partial shade. It grows in upland, sandhill, and dune areas with dry, well-drained, and sandy soils; it is also tolerant of wet and periodically flooded conditions.
Can my Neighbour cut the top of my hedge?
Your neighbour can cut any branches that are overhanging into their garden as long as they only remove the bits on their side of the boundary. If they want you to cut your tree or hedge just because they don’t like the way it looks, it’s up to you whether you do the work.
What months are you not allowed to cut hedges?
We recommend avoiding hedge cutting during the main breeding season for nesting birds, which usually runs throughout March to August each year. This can be weather dependent and some birds may nest outside this period, so it is important to always check carefully for active nests prior to cutting.
Can you throw a neighbor tree branches over the fence?
Ironically, even though the branches belong to your neighbour, you cannot simply throw them back over his fence. That could be deemed to be fly tipping of garden waste. Advise your neighbour that you intend to burn them or take them to a recycling centre.
What is the legal height of a hedge between Neighbours?
When a hedge grows over 2m (6½ft), the local authority does not automatically take action, unless a justifiable complaint is made. The law can not be used as a preventative measure – the hedge must already be above 2m (approx 6½ft) tall and impairing reasonable enjoyment.
Can I throw my Neighbours hedge cuttings back?
Once branches are cut off they should be offered back to the tree owner. If the owner doesn’t want them then you will be responsible for disposing of the prunings; you can’t simply throw them over the boundary into your neighbour’s garden! Can I cut back further than the boundary to prevent regrowth causing a problem?