Marianne's Response
woltzen’s Question
I have a hedge of laurel( three different kinds) that has never been pruned. Do I need to prune it or will it look ok/neat just natural. I’ m not sure of all the names, but one is English compacta laurel which I bought and is on the end of the hedge. That laurel is a lot younger and smaller. The rest of the hedge is getting quite large. Once I do trim them do I have to keep trimming to keep it looking neat? I live on the south hill of Puyallup. Thanks
Posted by woltzen on June 27, 2013
Marianne's Response
Is there a reason you need to trim the hedge? Laurel is fast growing in your area and to keep it all uniform and neat it needs shearing twice a year - or more. You may want to let it go natural if you have the room. You can try trimming it to see if you like the look and work but then it is okay to let it go back to natural if you get too busy in future years. Laurel will fill in from cut wood so if you make a mistake and prune too much the cut stumps will resprout. Try not to trim on a hot or sunny day as the newly exposed foliage could suffer sunburn and browning. Keep growing, Marianne Binetti
Search the Ask the Gardening Expert library
Looking for a quick resolution to your problem? Marianne has answered thousands of gardening questions. One may be similar to yours. Try searching our library to get the answer you need — fast!