Laurel shrubs are popular evergreen choices, frequently used for creating dense hedges and effective privacy screens. This year-round foliage provides structure and seclusion, but requires regular attention to maintain its intended size and form. Proper pruning is necessary to ensure the plant’s health, encourage thick growth, and manage the vigorous rate at which laurels grow. Understanding the specific techniques and correct timing is foundational to successful laurel maintenance.
Identifying Common Laurel Species and Pruning Objectives
The term “laurel” most commonly refers to two main species in the Prunus genus: English or Cherry Laurel (Prunus laurocerasus) and Portuguese Laurel (Prunus lusitanica). Cherry Laurel is known for its fast growth rate and large, glossy leaves, making it an excellent choice for a quick privacy screen. This variety tolerates severe pruning, even when cut back into older, leafless wood.
Portuguese Laurel has smaller, darker green leaves and a slightly slower growth rate, lending itself to a more refined, formal appearance. The primary goals of pruning are to control the plant’s overall size and shape, and to promote health by removing dead or damaged material. For hedges, pruning maintains either a crisp, formal line or a softer, natural shrub form.
Optimal Timing for Laurel Pruning
The best time for routine maintenance trimming differs significantly from the ideal window for severe size reduction. Lighter, annual shaping should be performed after the plant has finished flowering, typically in late spring or early summer. Pruning around June allows new growth to flush out rapidly, quickly covering the cut edges and ensuring the hedge looks tidy for the rest of the season.
For substantial size reduction or rejuvenation pruning, cuts should be timed for late winter or very early spring, just before the first flush of new growth begins. This timing allows the plant to use stored energy to quickly repair cuts and push new shoots as the weather warms. Pruning too late in the growing season, such as late summer or autumn, should be avoided.
Late-season cuts stimulate soft, tender new growth that does not have enough time to harden off before cold temperatures arrive. This new growth is susceptible to frost damage, which can harm the plant and create entry points for disease. Completing all major pruning before mid-summer ensures the laurel has time to establish resilient wood before winter.
Routine Shaping and Maintenance Trimming
Routine trimming encourages the dense, bushy foliage that makes laurel an effective screen, especially given the fast growth rate of many varieties. When maintaining a formal hedge, electric or manual hedge shears are effective for achieving a sharp line. However, this method often cuts large leaves in half, which can lead to browning and an unsightly, shredded appearance until new growth emerges.
For a healthier, more aesthetically pleasing cut, selective hand pruning is recommended using bypass pruners, particularly on the large-leaved English Laurel. This technique involves cutting individual stems back to a leaf node, a smaller branch, or the main trunk. This removes the entire leaf and promotes denser growth from within. While slower, this method produces a cleaner appearance and reduces stress on the foliage.
A foundational principle for hedge maintenance is ensuring the base of the laurel hedge remains slightly wider than the top. Trimming the sides to create a slight taper allows sunlight to reach the lower branches evenly. If the top is wider, the upper foliage shades the bottom, causing the lower leaves to thin out or drop, leaving the base of the hedge bare.
Rejuvenation Pruning for Overgrown Laurel
Laurel species, particularly Cherry Laurel, respond well to severe reduction, often called rejuvenation or hard pruning. This technique is used for hedges that have become too large, neglected, or sparse at the base. The best time for this drastic cut is in late winter or early spring before the buds begin to swell.
Rejuvenation involves cutting back significantly into the old, thick, leafless wood, often reducing the height and width by half or more. This task requires heavy-duty loppers or a small pruning saw rather than hand pruners. Laurels possess dormant buds along the old stems that are activated by this deep cut, causing the plant to sprout vigorous new growth.
If the hedge is extremely overgrown, staging the rejuvenation over two or three years minimizes shock and maintains privacy. Cut back one side and the top in the first year, then the remaining side the following year, allowing the plant time to recover. Following this severe pruning, applying a general fertilizer helps fuel recovery and the development of new foliage.