Laurel hedging guides

Laurel Hedge Care

A laurel hedge needs very little attention. A trim or two a year, water in dry spells and the odd feed keep it dense, healthy and green right down to the ground.

Trimming a laurel hedge

A laurel hedge needs trimming once or twice a year. If you keep it to a sensible height every year, the job does not take long.

  • When: between late spring and late summer, in dry weather. Stop by September so new growth can harden before winter.
  • Shape: trim the hedge slightly narrower at the top than at the base. More light then reaches the lower branches and the hedge stays leafy to the ground.
  • Tools: on large-leaved cherry laurel, secateurs or hand shears give the neatest finish because you cut stems rather than leaves. A hedge trimmer is much quicker on long hedges; the sliced leaves brown at the edges but are soon hidden by new growth.
  • Wildlife: always check for nesting birds first. Under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 it is an offence to damage or destroy an active nest, and the main nesting season runs from March to August.

Cutting back an overgrown laurel hedge

Cherry laurel and Portuguese laurel both regrow well from old wood, so even a badly overgrown hedge can be rescued. Do hard pruning in early spring, around March, just before the main flush of growth, and the hedge will recover quickly.

For a very overgrown hedge, spread the work over two years: cut back the top and one side in the first spring, then the other side the following year. Water and feed well afterwards to support the new growth. Bay is slower to recover, so reduce it more gradually.

Watering

New hedges need regular watering through their first two summers, particularly anything planted between March and October. Water deeply and less often rather than a little every day. Established laurel hedges are drought tolerant and rarely need watering except in a long dry spell.

Feeding and mulching

Give a general-purpose granular fertiliser along the base of the hedge in spring, then top up a 5cm layer of bark mulch, keeping it clear of the stems. Mulch holds moisture in, keeps weeds down and slowly improves the soil.

Common laurel problems

  • Yellowing leaves: usually waterlogging, drought or a lack of nutrients. Check drainage, water in dry spells and feed in spring.
  • Brown leaf edges: often leaves cut by a hedge trimmer, or scorch from frost and cold winds. New growth soon covers them.
  • Small round holes in leaves: shothole, a common and mostly cosmetic problem on cherry laurel. Clear up fallen leaves and keep the plant growing strongly.
  • White powdery coating: powdery mildew, which is worse in dry, crowded conditions.
  • Bare at the base: the lower branches are not getting enough light. Trim the top narrower than the bottom.

See the individual guides to cherry laurel, Portuguese laurel and bay laurel for pests and diseases specific to each.

Our picks

Tools for trimming laurel

Neatest finish

Bypass secateurs

Cut individual stems above a leaf so you avoid the brown, sliced leaves a hedge trimmer leaves behind.

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For bay and standards

Topiary shears

Short, sharp blades for detailed shaping of balls, cones and lollipop standards.

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Big hedges

Cordless hedge trimmer

Quick work of long hedges. Expect some browned leaves on cherry laurel that grow out within weeks.

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Extra reach

Telescopic hedge shears

Extendable handles let you reach the top of a two metre hedge without a ladder.

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Care and pruning questions

Trim back any shoots that stick out beyond the height and width you want straight after planting. Then trim the sides and top lightly twice a year. Each cut encourages the shoots inside the hedge to branch, which builds a dense screen from the base up.

Give laurel its routine trim between late spring and late summer, ideally in dry weather. Stop by September so new growth can harden before winter.

If a hedge needs cutting back hard, do it in early spring (around March), just before the main flush of growth, so it recovers quickly.

Always check for nesting birds first. Under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 it is an offence to damage or destroy an active nest, and the main nesting season runs from March to August.

Yes, but with large-leaved cherry laurel a powered trimmer slices through leaves and the cut edges turn brown. It looks untidy for a few weeks until new growth covers it. For the neatest finish, especially on smaller hedges, use secateurs or hand shears and cut stems just above a leaf.