How to Prune and Cut back a large Laurel Hedge
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- čas přidán 27. 08. 2024
- In this video I will be showing you how to do a reduction prune on a large cherry laurel hedge (prunus laurocerasus). I did this in the middle of November as it is best to do these sorts of heavy pruning when the plant is dormant over the winter months. This allows the plants new shoots in the spring to grow from the exposed wood you have cut it back to. I didn't choose the best day to do it as there was a lot of high winds and heavy rain fall however sometimes you just have to get on out there and do it.
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Standing on the top rung of that ladder was no mean feat. You are a braver man than I. Bravo!
Thanks for the comment it's definitely easier as the hedge is tall so you have something to hold onto but certainly wouldn't recommend it! 👍
Good work mate
Thanks Teddy much appreciated 👍
Oh, you are my hero! What a magnificent job!
Hey Tmontero8492 your most welcome thanks for commenting glad this helped you 😁👍
Thanks for showing with us how to prune this plant. Very instructive and helpful video. Cheers from your new friend at the top of the mountain.
You are very welcome glad you enjoyed it and found it helpful. Thank you for the great content you produce as well 😁👍
Thanks for this video, i have a huge laurel in my garden and i was afraid to cut it right back, but you've reassured me 😊
Hey Tina your most welcome really glad it helped you thanks for the comment 😁👍
I have been sawing bits of some of mine for the last week, but mine is virtual forest actually - at least double this height and with some branches as thick as my thigh!
I can't wait for my laurels to grow that big,so it hides the hideous buildings stonebond developers have built at the rear of my garden...
So clean and good job. Thanks for the inspiration. I’m going to trim it now :)
Hey bulutaslan thanks for the kind comment it's always a rewarding job to get done. Hope it goes well for you happy gardening 😁👍
These tripod ladders are very good to get in to tight spots especially the ones with adjustable legs 👍
Hey Jimmy they are pretty fantastic wouldn't be without mine! 😁👍
Fantastic job - I was exhausted just watching. Given me the confidence to have a go - might take a few days longer. Thank you.
Hey Brian thanks very much for the comment, that's so great to hear that you will tackle yours after watching this that's why I make my videos. Absolutely take your time with it laurels are very forgiving plants and grow back from bare wood so a great plant to learn how to prune. All the best 👍
We are constantly asked to address laurel that’s turned feral and I can assure everyone, no matter how aggressively you cut the things back, they will not only recover but actually thrive. If you leave it frighteningly thin, in the next growing season it will have thickened out again ready for light trimming.
We have cleared areas of land that have been taken over by this plant and the roots migrate everywhere and if the stumps are ground away, you need to go to at least 150mm below the surface and still some grow back.
When asked about hedging, the last plant we suggest is laurel, it’s incredibly fast growing, requires high maintenance, has invasive roots and offers little other than large green leaves.
We actually love the income it brings however. The same applies to bamboo and leylandii.
Our preference is a well maintained beech hedge, easy to maintain and interesting to look at.
If it’s for shelter, a fence with something like a clematis, which produces a flower. Blackbirds especially will nest in honeysuckle for instance.
Hey Andy, thanks for the comment always good to hear about other people's experiences with the plant. Like most things it does depend on the situation as you can't aggressively prune back a young or newly established laurel or if you reduce a mature one from 10ft to 1ft during a dry spell it can kill it off. However I do agree they are extremely tough plants and on one like this in the video you would struggle to do any harm to it as the harder you cut back the more encouraged it is to grow back. I never find the roots to migrate much if the plant is kept on top of but usually the long term neglected ones that branches bow down and re root into the ground and spread. I do think it makes a great evergreen hedge though as it's tough, provides a great wind break, private, disease and pest resistant, grows well even in dry shady spots and fantastic for wildlife with the year round cover and fruit it offers a great spot for birds to nest. I wouldn't discourage people planting this plant every plant has its place and it's situational depending on the garden and person looking after it. I personally like it and it works for me but do appreciate it's not for everyone. 👍
Hope he got paid well ,great job during battling highwinds🤗👍
Hello Dolladoradolls thanks for the comment, it's always fun to work battling the weather I find you appreciate things more 😁👍
Nice work , a job approached well and executed well
Hey Valentine Oreilly thanks for the comment and feedback much appreciated 👍
Thinking of buying a house which has a humungously long laurel hedge that borders nearly all of the property. Was looking to find out (get some confidence) how to manage it. I think it will be OK. Thx for the really clear video. For a non-gardener, I feel I could tackle the job now :-)
Hey Matt thanks so much for your comment means a lot. You are most welcome I'm glad it's helped you, you've got this! Happy gardening 😁👍
As well as my laurel trees my house has one of the longest laurel hedges I have ever seen which I cut once a year. In the past I have sometimes paid someone to do it but you can do it yourself. I do mine in sections with electric hedge trimmers and the other thing you need in my case is my tallest step ladders.
Impressive. Thank You for video:)
Hey Dariusz your very welcome thanks for the comment 😁👍
Nicely done my man
Hey Tyler much appreciated thanks 👍
Thanks for this helpful video
Hey Per Mckelvy, thanks for your comment it's appreciated, glad you found it helpful 👍
Good job
Hey A Jones thanks for the comment its appreciated 😁👍
Nice job.
Hey Kathy thank you 😁👍
very helpful
thank you for an excellent video!
Hello David thanks your your comment much appreciated. You are very welcome! 👍
I wish the people who pruned my Photinia robusta hedge last month had watched your videeo!
Hello thanks for the comment, yes sometimes some rough cuts can be done but don't worry the plant will recover and you can amend their mistakes 😁👍
I know this video is old but wanted to say thanks as I have to tackle a very overgrown one of these today. Don't suppose you have advice for a 7 foot holly bush that needs to be halved in size?
Hey thanks for the comment your most welcome they can get overgrown quickly so don't be shy when it comes to cutting it back. I will be doing a prune on a Holly tree and shrub at the beginning of next year so will be creating a how to video on that. It's best to wait until the berries are off the tree/ eaten so after the prune there is enough time for a flush of fruit at the end of that year. It shoots from the wood so you can cut it back hard to the trunk just make sure they are nice clean cuts 😁👍
Great. Thanks
Hey Sheila thanks for the comment you are well 😁👍
Great job 👏
Thanks Carl 😁👍
WATCH PART 2! Pruning the Privet Just Hand Tools see the garden progressing:
m.czcams.com/video/GiyvKs4Ehws/video.html
Great job and video 👍 What would you do with roots that spread out from more established and thicker laurel trunks and sprout new growth away from the main hedge, can these be cut back and buried under the soil, would that stop them or would that harm the main parts of the hedge? Thanks
Hey O thanks for the comment 👍 I would dig down and cut them backif they are spreading and in the way. It won't damage the main hedge as if its doing that it's a good sign it's healthy and thriving as it has enough energy to spread 😁👍
@@gardenerstale thanks for your advice, I will cut them back, there’s plenty of growth elsewhere, it’s a very healthy tree, with big trunks, as I’ve let it become tall over the years, but it’s been great for privacy and the neighbours behind me have used it for shade and the birds loved it. Not sure my next door neighbours liked it as much, it dropped cherries and leaves and stops other things growing. All good now though after a good cut last year! Thanks again 🤗
Happy to help 👍 Sounds great they are a really good boundary/privacy hedge and habitat for wildlife. 😁
Just what I was looking for. Duly liked and subscribed. My laurel is similar height, but even wider & thicker. It's good to know that it can be cut back hard, and when to do it. With the amount of waste material expected, could this be done from early autumn over 3 or 4 weeks? I've read that frost might damage new shoots if pruned at the wrong time, but if I'm cutting it back hard, by the time I've finished I wouldn't expect to have any new shoots growing. Would appreciate your guidance.
Hello, thanks for the comment and support. Yes these laurels really can take a hard cut back you would struggle to do them any harm. That is fine early autumn prune in stages and the new shoots will appear in the spring 😁👍
Great job. Very helpful for me to understand how far back I can prune my laurel. Looks like I need to get back out to mine and give it a further haircut. Haha! Is there a specific time of year when a cherry laurel should be pruned? Thanks
Hey Rod thanks for the comment glad you found the video helpful. Well I would advise if you are going to prune it back hard like this then wait until the plant is dormant (so the winter months). Hope it goes well 👍
@@gardenerstale - Thanks for the advice. That is greatly appreciated.
looks like a tough job!
Hey Mia thanks for the comment, the weather certainly made the job harder than it should have been but you just have to crack on with the job in hand 👍
Great vid. Can you advise on laurel that looks really sparse, possibly dying.
Hey Sgtdes thanks for the comment, for sparse looking laurel I would advise a hard cut back with a reduction in height and width in the spring as this will encourage the laurel to thicken up and growth from the bare wood. A good mulch after will also help feed it and retain moisture in the roots as it recovers from this cut back. Also worth analysing the situation of the laurel is it too dry or wet does it get too much sun or not enough, is the soil lacking nutrients etc there are a lot of factors that could cause it to not looking healthy. Hope this helps 😁👍
@@gardenerstale absolute super star. Thanks for your great advice, I will letbyou know how I get on. Thanks for your time.
Would this also be a good approach for overgrown privet? I saw your video on trimming an overgrown privet w just hand tools but wondering if I could treat my privet like you did the Laurel - thank you so much for your very helpful videos I’ve been searching and searching and this is one of the better ones I’ve found for my purposes!
Hey Nicole, definitely this would be a great approach to cut back an overgrown privet. I wanted to prune the privet with just hand tools to show that you don't need to have any fancy equipment to cut an overgrown hedge back to hopefully encourage other people to do the same and not be put off because of the expensive equipment. Thanks so much really glad you find my videos helpful your kind words are really appreciated 😁👍
Hello, thank you for the useful video! I have a large laurel tree in the front garden and we want to drastically cut it back as it's blocking the sun. The roots are apparently close to some drains under the front garden, and we've been told that cutting it back heavily will cause the tree to go 'into shock' and lots more roots to grow (which we want to avoid). Is this true? Is there any way we can reduce the size of the tree without causing the roots issue? Thanks for your help.
Hello, your very welcome glad you found it helpful. Yes by cutting a shrub back like laurel hard it will go into shock/ fight or flight mode where it puts on lots of growth in the roots and then leafy growth to compensate for the loss/prune. It's a hard one when it comes to pipes the roots won't be able to break through pipes however if they are clay pipes some end up having cracks due to ground movement then the roots can get in expand and open up the crack in the pipe/block the pipe. If they are plastic pvc pipes then you have nothing to worry about as move with ground movements and the roots won't be able to get in. Even if you don't cut it back, as it grows the roots will expand and grow by cutting it you are speeding up the process. So you can either remove the shrubs if your concerned and plant something less vigorously growing like a beech or install a root barrier to prevent it from reaching the pipes. Unfortunately there is no way to prune wihtout causing the roots to grow unless you do a root prune and by that point you may as well have installed a root barrier. Hope this all helps 😁👍
Hi, great video, can you transplant largeish established laurels? We need to ideally move one for a shed but love laurels. It looks like it has a few thick original roots that have spread sideways to about 8ft wide. Have a digger chap coming in to level ground too as it would be too much by hand. Any advice welcome.
Hello castingdirector3295, thanks for the comment. I would say it depends how large they are and how long they have been establish in that spot. You would have to do it when it's dormant in late autumn or winter. If you did it in the summer it would be a mission to keep up with the watering to re establish it and would dry up as you dig it out and expose the roots to the sun. You can prune some of the thick roots back when transplanting keeping as many fibrous roots as possible as these take up the water and nutrients. Yeah a digger would definitely be wise when digging it up I would do a hard prune on the laurel to reduce the size so it has less plant to sustain as it re establishes. Hope this helps 👍
Thank you for the advice and wise words. Gives me time to decide as well if it’s a winter job. 😊
Hav u ever seen these as a tree on its own with a 5/6 foot stem and trimmed them or let them just grow?
Hey, I have seen them grown as an espalier with a 5/6 ft stem or pruned 5/6 ft stem to be a small/medium sized shaped tree but never one that has naturally done it. As it likes to have foliage growth all up the trunk/stem so it can block sunlight out so it doesn't need to compete with plants below it. 👍
Next video: ladder safety.
Hey Brock I hear you I don't recommend doing this in strong winds like I was. 😁👍
Will new leaves grow from the horizontal cuts on those top stems? On top of the hedge
Hey N Chen absolutely, I have cut the laurel back to a node on the branch (the alternating bumps on the wood) and that is where new leaves will emerge and grow into branches in the future 👍
Hi
I’ve reduced the height already with the trimmer and looks very messy. Can I cut a bit more with secateurs to finish off.
Hey A Adnan, yes absolutely cut the messy bits down with secateurs to a leaf to reduce die back 😁👍
does yours spread underground at all, ours was left be previous owners, and was around 4 m wide. managed to get it back to about 2m, but its so thick in the middle, and has loads of new shoots popping up around it.
Hey Lloyd, this one doesn't spread underground but I do prune others that do. It's usually when the roots are close to the surface and the sun on them encourages leaf bud growth similar to propagating from a root cutting. I bet that was a challenge they are tough plants. Lots of new shoots will be because of your hard prune back it has encouraged that growth when it is really thick and bushy in the middle you are able to thin it out but would wait until it is more dormant in the late autumn/winter so it doesn't just put on lots more growth after you thin it out. Hope this helps 👍
I just moved into a house with a big laurel hedge like this but much longer. I noticed that the "branches" quickly become thick and tough below the "leaf line". Are there any hedge trimmers (pole hedge trimmers) that will be able to cut through this growth without breaking? or does it have to be a chainsaw (pole saw) ? I had a go with the secateurs the other day and it will take me many hours up the ladder!
Hey Eurotruth thanks for your comment, it depends on how thick they are. You can get a pole chainsaw like you say which would cut through thick branches. I wouldn't recommend a hedge cutter (unless it's thin branches) as its not designed for those sorts of jobs so wouldnt be good for the long term life of the hedge cutter and the cuts would be messy. It does take time with hand tools but a decent pair of extendable loppers can make quick work of it and you can cut and handle the branches very safely. Hope this helps 👍
My laurel is very tall and skinny, how would I make it fuller and thicker
Hello Ricky I would recommend reducing the height of it (don't be afraid to cut it down hard as they are very resilient plants) to help encourage it bush out and thicken up. Also if you can try to allow more light to the lower areas (by removing shading branches from other plants) as this will stimulate grow from there as well. Hope this helps 😁👍
@@gardenerstale will try tat, thanks 👍
Tidy job mate. Is your tripod ladder a 10 footer?
Hey Ted4455 thanks for the comment, was a bit windy but happy with the end result. The one I am using in this video is an 8 foot one that when the feet are fully extended is a 10 footer 👍
Great stuff, thanks for getting back to me 👍
The slopeing ground can be a problem .
Hey chocksaway absolutely, it makes it much more difficult to work on! 👍
What did you do with the cut off waste? I think you mentioned compost, is Laurel safe to use as compost?
I was thinking is using a chipper to make mulch for the base of young trees
Hello Dvearncombe Laurel is fine to compost and chipping it up and spreading it under young trees would be fantastic. You can leave the chippings in a pile for six month to a year to bread down so it would be easier for trees to uptake the nutrients. Hope this helps 👍
Is there a good/bad time of year to do this?
I believe late spring / early summer is the best time to prune them. I’ve just done mine
Hello, it depends on what time of prune you are doing a hard renovation prunr like this one then wait until the late autumn and winter months when the plant is dormant. However a trim back of foliage to keep it in shape then late spring or early summer when the flowers have finished. Hope this helps 👍
@@gardenerstale Very helpful thank you and just in the nick of time. I shall put the saw away till winter.... I literally had my tools out to do it today lol
You're very welcome glad it was in time, apologies I am not the fastest at responding to comments but I will respond to everyone eventually 👍
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How long will it take for the hedge to grow back to the size it was at the beginning of the video?
Hey NoMoreStrawMen so for this hedge it is by a water ditch so it does get a lot of water and in full sun so it takes about 2 years to put that growth back on. I usually do a yearly prune on it to keep it in shape. 👍
How much did you charge for that? It looked a bit dodgy standing on the tripod ladder. Many thanks
Hey Neil I think it took me around 2/3 hours to get that job done and tidied up. It does look dodgy although those tripod ladders are the safest ladders I have ever used very sturdy because of the wide base. I wouldn't recommend working at height in that sort of wind and rain though unless you have good balance 👍
@@gardenerstale 2/3 hours??? Must have been standing around chatting. You finished the job in 7 minutes and 29 seconds...
@@russperkins9527 ha ha brilliant 😂👍
That ladder is too short for this job. OSHA safety violation standing on the very top of a ladder. Extremely dangerous. Please use a taller ladder.
My neighbour who backs onto my garden has one of these trees. It a nightmare to keep cutting. And I have to keep paying someone because I’m disabled. 😏
Hey TW Woody they are great hedging plants for an evergreen screen but if you are unable to cut it I can imagine it can be frustrating. You can get away with one cut a year once it's under control and cut back hard though 👍
Neat job but high wind was hampering it
Hey Ramesh thanks for your comment it certainly wasn't the best weather to be doing it but sometimes you just have to get on with it! 😁👍
They do not like much fertilizer at all, I have four of them that really suffered and I couldn't figure out why. Finally I stopped giving them miracle grow fertilizer and then they took off and are doing great now. The fertilizer was actually very detrimental to them.
Hey Chris C that is a good point you can burn the roots of any plant with too much fertiliser which will stunt their growth. Glad they are doing well now happy growing 👍
I love cherry laurel and i planted them last summer (december, this is New Zealand) but so far they didn't grow at all for over 7 months, of course they seemed healthy and dark green. But, no height grow or nothing. What's wrong with my laurels???
Hey Jbrett it's hard to tell without knowing the situation what sort of soil are they in and what are the growing conditions? (sun/shade damp/dry sheltered/open etc). Its worth considering it can sometimes take a while for them to get their root system established before they put on any visible growth as well 👍
what ladders are you using ? what is the brand ? thanks
Hello Peter it's a tripod ladder which is adjustable on every leg. A fantastic bit of kit it doesn't have a brand unfortunately but when looking make sure all the legs are adjustable as that's essential! 👍
@Gardeners Tale was going to ask about your ladder and the dimensions of it but that sounds great that the legs can be adjustable I will have a look for one!
Hi - what tools did you use for this job?
Hey Patrick I used a Stihl hedge cutter for the face then felco no 2 for tidying up the cuts and for the top a non branded extendable pair of loppers and a silky saw. Hope this helps 😁👍
Would you know if I treated brambles that are growing in amongst our laurel with SBK brushwood killer, would it affect the laurel?
Hey EpiphGd it wouldn't affect the laurel as long as you didn't get any of the chemical on the laurel leaves. SBK works systematically so when the chemical makes contact with the plants leaves I works it way down to the roots and kills it off. My recommendation is to pull the bramble out and spray it on the floor (cover the floor with newspaper if plant bed) then the chemical won't contact the laurel. Or depending how much bramble there is you can make a SBK mix and paint it on the bramble in situ rather than spraying so you directly apply to bramble leaves. Lastly you could cut the bramble down to the main clump come back in a couple weeks when new shoots emerge and directly apply. To summarise as long as you don't get it on the laurel leaves or pour a lot of the mixture around the laurel root base then it won't affect the laurel just directly apply to the bramble. Hope that helps 👍
@@gardenerstale Thanks! Think I’ll cut em down and let them put out shoots a little first. Sooooo many of them, I’m gonna get punctured lol
@@epiphgd4302 Good idea saves on weedkiller as well! Hope it goes well I have done a video on a bramble clearance might be worth checking that out I use welding gauntlet gloves and didn't get cut 👍
Can the laurel be cut in summer?
Hey Tahlia you can prune it in the summer if its really overgrown, however this will encourage growth so may need to cut it again later in the year. Also do check if there are birds nesting before you prune. It's best to get into a cycle of cutting it every year when it's dormant in the late autumn or winter as birds don't nest, it's dormant so won't put on lots of growth, and the sap will be in the roots so will reduce die back and loss of plant nutrients and energy. Hope this helps 😁👍
@@gardenerstale thank you so much for this. Much appreciated
What is the best time to do this?
Our laurel hedge gets cut early September. We hate the damn thing … 100ft long, 7ft high and 7ft wide. We’re struggling as we’re seventy somethings. It takes us a week to do with many arguments. We had a quote for over £1000 last year. Good luck!
Hello Alexander you want to prune your laurel when it is more dormant so it keeps it's shape, doesn't put on extra growth and can recover from a hard prune. This is usually in the autumn and winter time but will depend on your location as you want to prune it during mild weather not winter sno. A good general rule is when it has finished flowering. There are exceptions if you need to keep it in shape for access you can cut it a few times a year so then would recommend a early prune in May time and follow up with a prune September/October. Hope this all helps 👍
Hey Winniepeg that's a shame they really can get big if left alone for a while. I would recommend reducing the overall size of it if that's possible bring the sides in so the top is thinner as that's always the hardest part to prune. Also I am sure there is a lot of waste from pruning it so that's maybe why you get quoted a high price. It does sound very expensive something like that should cost more like half the price you were quoted though. Hope this helps 👍
@@gardenerstale Thank you for your advice. I've suggested this in the past to my husband but he's reluctant to do so as he says the field it borders is neglected and the hedge offers protection. As I look at it today the bracken is a good couple of feet above and through the hedge. The last couple of years the bramble is encroaching through it too. We were shocked at the quote too but then again it is France!
@@winniepeg9869 yes I can totally understand you don't want to loose that protection. In that case it maybe wise to do a hard prune back every couple of years so it slows the growth down rather than cutting it more frequently spurring on the growth. Yes worth getting the bramble dug out before it overtakes, even just doing a bit each day step by step 👍
Do you need to wear gloves for this as the leaves / berries are poisonous?
Hey Tom good question if you have sensitive skin or are worried then it's always safer to wear gloves. However I have never found the leaves or berries to irritate my skin I cut it in the autumn/winter when it's dormant so the sap is mainly in the roots and it's doesn't bleed like other plants when it's cut. The HTA (Horticultural Trades Association) list it in category C and that's more the oil and berries being poisonous rather than it being a contact irritant. Hope this helps 👍
@@gardenerstale Yes, thank you very helpful!
Hi
Can you drink leaf as tea?
Hey Nada to my knowledge you cannot drink this as a tea as it does contain cyanide hence the almond smell when you cut it.
why not cut it even with the fence?
Hey Sandra as the garden is on such a large slope it works well to cut it higher to screen the neighbouring garden. Further up the garden there are trees that when you are at the top of the garden cover the area over the fence. I can understand why it may look odd otherwise 👍
hI, how old is your hedge in this video??
Hey Jbrett yoo I can't say an exact age as I didn't plant it but from my experience with others I would say its about 25-30 years old (just remember when you buy laurels they are already about 5 years old depending on size). 👍
Haha. That’s not huge. I’m dealing with 30-40 feet high Laurel TREES. It’s killing me. I can’t even find a video of anyone with Laurel trees as big as these…
Multiple Diameter’s of 30-40cm in places
Hey Alex, yeah they sound like monsters I imagine tree surgeon CZcamsrs may have videos on laurel trees that large. Certainly sounds like chainsaw work 👍
I hate giant
Hello, laurels can be a challenge when they get this big 👍