How to Plant, Trim, and Maintain a Thriving Laurel Hedge
If you are thinking about planting a Laurel hedge in your garden, you are making a fantastic choice. But naturally, you will have a few common questions like ‘how do I plant a Laurel hedge’ or ‘how many plants do I actually need?’, and ‘when is the best time to trim a Laurel hedge?’ then this is your one-stop, comprehensive guide tell you everything you need to know about Laurel.
Here we will help you through the process of establishing your Laurel hedge from when you plant them, how to care for them, how to make Laurel grow faster and more dense, how to keep them looking great and when to trim them.
Planting an evergreen Laurel hedge
Where can I plant a Laurel hedge?
Cherry Laurel (also called Common Laurel, English Laurel or usually just Laurel) makes one of the best garden hedges. When established, a Laurel hedge provides reliable privacy throughout the year because it is evergreen, meaning it keeps its leaves all year round, even in winter. Laurel hedges only require minimal care and attention and they can withstand cold and windy weather providing shelter for you. They can also they look beautiful with their glossy lush green leaves.
Laurel are perfect for all types of gardens and are very shade tolerant, so are suitable beneath tall trees or in north-facing aspects. Laurels also benefit wildlife with their flowers and berries.
The only places Laurel may struggle are where the soil is very chalky or stays very wet for prolonged periods. If you have very chalky soil, consider planting Portugal Laurel or Griselinia instead. You can see our guide on choosing Laurel hedges for your garden
When is the best time to plant an evergreen Laurel hedge?
Laurels can be planted any time of year if they are pot-grown. Rootballed Laurel* can be planted between November and early April. The optimal time is autumn and winter (October to March). This gives them time to begin establishing their roots in the soil before new growth takes off in spring, and the winter rain provides consistent moisture to help them do this. If planted in spring or summer, you will need to water them more often unless you get regular rainfall.
* rootballed plants are those dug straight from the field with a ball of soil around the roots as opposed to being grown in a pot. The rootball is wrapped with jute or hessian to stop the rootball becoming disturbed.
How many plants will I need for a Laurel hedge and how far apart should they be?
To work out how many plants you need, you must decide how far apart you want them. We recommend spacing laurels 60 to 100cm apart (about 2 to 3 feet) or somewhere in between. For a more instant effect, you can even plant as close as 50cm apart (2 per metre) but we wouldn’t recommend planting them any closer than this.
You can use our Hedge Spacing Calculator to quickly work out the number of plants you would need at 60cm, 75cm and 100cm spacings.
The best spacing for your hedge depends on how long you are willing to wait before you get a screen and what your budget is.
How long you are prepared to wait
If you want to create a screen quickly and don’t want to wait, then plant the laurels 50cm or 60cm apart.
If you are happy to wait a few years, they can be planted further apart. Laurels planted 1 metre apart will form a dense screen after 2-3 years (depending on the size of the plants at planting and growing conditions).
Budget constraints
Wider spacing means you need to buy fewer plants than closer spacing so will reduce the cost significantly. Plant at 1 metre apart if your budget is limited. Smaller plants are less expensive than larger plants.
How to Plant a Laurel hedge
Planting laurels is simple; dig a hole, put the Laurel in the hole with some feed (fertiliser) and Rootgrow, put the soil back in around it and water it. However, for fast and healthy growth, it is worth taking the time and effort to give them the best possible start. Here is a five-step process to give them that.
1. Prepare the area
Before doing any digging, clear the area your Laurel hedge is going to be. This means removing all the weeds including the roots, or grass if the site is currently part of your lawn. You want newly planted Laurels to have the area all to themselves.
This is important as to get the fastest growth you do not want other plants (including grass and weeds) competing against them for water and nutrients.
2. Measure the correct spacing & line out
When the area is cleared, place your laurels on the ground and get their positioning and spacing right. Make sure the spacings are consistent with an equal distance between the centre of each stem. Stand back and survey them until you are happy. If you want to ensure you plant your hedge in a straight line, it is advisable to put a string line along the length of the hedge line. This can be done with a builders line or some string between two bamboo canes.
3. Dig the hole or trench
Dig the hole one and a half to two times as wide as the pot your Laurels came in, and deep enough so the top of its rootball is level or slightly lower (1-2cm) than the soil surface (not proud). Use a spade or garden fork to break up the soil at the bottom of the hole. This will make it easier for the Laurels’ root system to penetrate the soil and get itself established.
4. Add Top soil, Compost, Feed and Rootgrow
If the soil is poor, remove some of the soil and replace it with some high quality top soil or Tree & Planting Compost. This can be mixed with the remaining soil. Next, mix in a handful of plant food and Rootgrow (see below) as these can make your Laurel grow faster.
5. Plant the Laurels
Take the Laurel out of its pot and check the roots. If they look tightly packed, gently loosen them with your fingers until you have a rough bundle of roots bristling out. Doing this will help them grow new roots outwards more quickly.
If your Laurel are rootballed*, plant them with the rootball wrap on, do not remove it or try to tease out the roots.
6. Backfill the hole
Fill the hole back in (backfill) with the soil again. Firm down around the sides of the rootball with your heel to keep the laurels anchored in.
7. Stake the plants (if necessary)
If you live in a windy, exposed site and your plants are over 1.8m (6ft) they may need staking. For this you will need some wooden stakes, usually around 1.65m (5’6”) long by 40-50mm in diameter.
Using a post driver or sledgehammer, drive the stakes into the ground at a 45° angle, making sure to avoid the rootball.
Position the exposed end of the stake so it is pointing into the prevailing wind. This angle is crucial: when the wind pushes on the plant, it will push the stake further into the ground for added stability, rather than pulling it loose.
Attach the plant to the stake with a buckle tree tie. Tie it in a figure of eight with one end around the stake and the other end around the strongest stem of the Laurel plant. Attach it at approximately 45cm (18 inches) above the ground.
8. Water your new Laurel hedge
Water them thoroughly. You can lay down a 3 inch layer of compost, mulch, bark or wood chippings around the laurel stems. Leave a small gap, don’t press it up onto the stems as this will make it rot. This mulch will help retain moisture in the soil, reduce new weed growth and gradually release nutrients as it breaks down.
9. Prune your Laurel plants
Now your laurels are planted, one final thing to do is some formative pruning to encourage thick lush growth instead of spindly growth. Cut off the top 2cm or 1 inch (the tips) of any leggy stems growing straight up. This makes them grow side shoots, which means they thicken up and become denser as they grow taller. The denser your hedge becomes, the more effectively it will give you privacy, provide wind shelter, and block noise pollution.
10. Admire your newly planted Laurel hedge
Stand back and check you are happy with your newly planted hedge.
Below we cover Laurel hedge care.
Looking to buy healthy Laurel hedging plants? Browse our full selection of sizes
Laurel Hedge Care
Watering your Laurel hedge
How often you need to water a newly planted hedge depends on your soil type, the time of year and how much it rains.
Heavy soils (especially clay soil) that retain moisture, drain slowly and require less watering. Light and sandy soils that drain faster require more frequent watering.
Newly planted hedges will generally not need watering over the winter (November to February) unless there is a long dry period. They will usually need watering during the growing season which is generally between February/March and October/November.
Hedges planted in autumn or winter tend to need less watering come the spring and summer than hedges planted in the spring or summer.
The rule of thumb is for the soil to be constantly moist but not waterlogged, never let the roots of your plants dry out completely.
Water every day if the soil is sandy and drains fast.
Water every 2 days if the soil holds onto water.
Water every 3 days if the soil is heavy and drains slowly.
However, we recommend checking the soil or rootball of the plant every 2 or 3 days during the growing season by pushing a finger into the soil or compost.
Direct the water on the soil at the base of the plants and soak them heavily so the water sinks deep into the soil and reaches the root systems and even further below. If the water starts to run off, move on to the next plant and come back again later. Soaking the soil three or four times is the best way to get the water deep into the soil rather than just on the surface.
If you water lightly, you are only adding moisture to the top few inches of soil which may not be enough to encourage them to grow quickly.
Feeding your Laurel hedge
It is best to feed your Laurel when you plant them with a controlled-release feed (sometimes called a slow-release fertiliser). We recommend our 12-14 month controlled-release feed. Mix it into the soil in the hole or trench before planting. However, if you didn’t feed them at planting, then they can be “top-dressed” with a controlled-release fertiliser at any time of the year. Simply sprinkle it around the soil near the rootballs of the Laurel and rake it in to the soil a little if possible. If you are using a controlled-release feed with only 6 months life, it is best to feed the hedge in March so the nutrients from the feed are released throughout the growing season. Once your evergreen Laurel hedge has its roots established in the soil, it should pick up all the nutrients it needs and it will not need feeding again.
Break up compacted soil and add good quality top soil or Tree and Planting Compost if necessary (see how to plant). This will bulk up sandy soils so it holds onto water better, and it will provide nutrition both immediately and over time. Mulch the plants after planting to retain more moisture and provide more long-term food.
You can also add Rootgrow when planting. This is not a fertiliser but a beneficial mycorrhizal fungus that helps the laurels develop a secondary root system which will help the roots find more water and nutrients than it would without them. Rootgrow comes as a dry powder, it only needs to be applied once.
How to make a Laurel hedge grow faster
In summary, for your Laurel plants to grow at their fastest, simply give them everything they need to grow. Remember, the basic needs for plant growth are water, sunlight and nutrients.
- Water – all plants need water to grow. Provide your evergreen Laurel hedge with the correct amount of water, especially in the first couple of years after planting. Lack of water will limit their growth rate.
- Feed them – Apply a controlled-release fertiliser at or shortly after planting
- Add Rootgrow at planting – this will help them develop a root system that will
- Plant them well. Make sure when you plant your evergreen Laurel hedge that the soil is not compacted. A compacted soil will restrict root growth and mean your plants cannot pick up the water and nutrients they require.
- Remove as much competition as possible. If other plants, including grass and weeds are taking water and nutrients from the soil, this can restrict the growth of your Laurel. Trees and other shrubs nearby can also take sunlight, water and nutrients from the soil as they will already have an established root system.
- Mulching after planting can help reduce water loss and weeds which can help make your Laurel grow faster. However, it can be difficult to see how wet the soil is with mulch on top so just keep a close eye on the soil moisture.
- Shelter your Laurels from strong winds – persistent strong winds can slow the growth of any plant down making them squatter to cope with the wind.
When is the best time to trim a Laurel hedge?
When your laurel hedge reaches your desired size, it will require trimming to keep it looking good and control its size. All you need to do is prune it back to your desired width and height. Pruning Laurel will also make it bush out more as it stimulates the plants to produce more leaf buds.
Laurel hedges can be trimmed any time of year, but the best time to trim a Laurel hedge is either in early spring (end of February/March) before they start growing for the year or summer (July/August). Be careful to ensure there are no birds nesting in the hedge if you prune between March and July and that it is not frosty when you trim your Laurel hedge.
While your Laurel hedging plants is establishing, we recommend pruning the tips of the Laurels off (approx 2cm or 1 inch) with a pair of secateurs before it starts to grow in the season and in late spring. This is not essential but taking out the leading shoots will encourage the plants to grow bushier as they grow tall. Do this for the first couple of years to get a really bushy and dense hedge.
How to prune a Laurel hedge
Assess your hedge
Look at the overall shape of your hedge and decide exactly where it needs cutting and how much. To get your desired look, some parts of the hedge may require less trimming than others.
Make sure you have the right tools
If you have a small Laurel hedge, it can be trimmed with secateurs and loppers but if you have a larger hedge, you will need a hedge trimmer.
Trim the sides
Start at one end of the hedge and work your way in sections towards the other end. In each section, trim from the base and work upwards. Trim the hedge back to your desired width. As you trim your hedge, it is a good idea to regularly stop, stand back and check your progress. Check you are cutting the sides in a straight line and not cutting too far inwards.
Trim the top
Use your judgement to trim the top to your desired height, regularly checking your progress. If you want a perfect hedge, you can put up a line of string up to get a straight line or use a measuring stick to regularly check the height you are trimming to.
Trim the hedge back to your desired width and height. If you have to cut further back into old wood because it has grown too wide, don’t worry as Laurel will always shoot back.
If you are using a hedgetrimmer, it will cut through the large leaves and may look a bit tatty afterwards. This is why the best time to trim a laurel hedge is at the start of the season (Feb/March) or during the growing season (up until the end of August) as pruning it will encourage new shoots that will cover up the untidy looking leaves in no time at all. If you cut it back with a hedgetrimmer late in the year, it may look untidy over the winter until new shoots appear next May/June.
Tidy up and remove cut leaves
When you have finished, clear away all the trimmings, including any left on the top of the hedge. Use a rake to help remove them. This ensures that any rotting leaves do not harbour any pests or diseases and improves your general Laurel hedge care.
How often do I need to trim a Laurel hedge?
You only need to trim your Laurel hedge once a year but if you find it has grown up more than you want, then you can trim up twice a year. In general, Laurel responds to being pruned by producing more leaf buds and becomes bushier so it is difficult to damage your evergreen Laurel hedge by trimming it too often.
Conclusion
A Laurel hedge is one of the easiest hedges to grow. It will create an all year round screen to give you privacy in your garden or outdoor space. Laurel are happy almost anywhere, they grow fast and are very forgiving. They are also one of the least expensive hedging plants because they are fast-growing. They are very simple and will reward you for decades while demanding little in return.
