Hi All,
I’m trying to grow my Portuguese laurel hedge up to the height of the red line. So far it’s had 1 growing season where I’ve actually fed and watered it properly, but the height is a bit disjointed. How should I approach my spring time prune to make sure I’m on the right track to eventually hit the desired height whilst being level across each shrub? Should I trim the tops so they’re all the same height now, or leave the tops and just focus on bushing out the hedge?
Thanks!
by ProfessionalHeight96
5 Comments
Don’t try to race to that red line or you’ll end up with a see-through fence. The biggest mistake people make with Portuguese Laurel is letting the leaders run wild to hit the target height fast because the bottom ends up bare and woody. You actually need to sacrifice a little height now to get the density you want later, otherwise you will have a thick top on spindly legs.
For this spring prune I would nip the tips of the tallest leaders by about 6 inches. It hurts to cut off that vertical progress but it triggers the plant to send hormones down the stem to force lateral branching which thickens the wall. Also make sure you prune in a slight A-shape where the bottom is wider than the top so sunlight hits the lower leaves. If you cut it straight up and down the top eventually shades the bottom and those lower branches die off.
Feed in spring only.. Let it find it’s roots and it will grow. This year was slow owing to the drought.
You need to cut it for it to grow. I chopped a foot off mine to get it neat and tidy and the year after it took off like a madman.
If you leave it as is you’ll get long thin branches without much density. Cutting it back forces it to spread out while still growing for height
I have a ton of this stuff, and the first 2 years it barely grows. (I’ve planted a lot across multiple years, so I’m not basing this on a single growing season).
After year 4 it really starts to come on.
If it were me, I’d cut it all to a single height now, so at least it looks tidy, and basically just let that height increase one year at a time until you get where you want.
Mine is for a 6′ fence, and after 5 years its still not there yet!
That is crying out to be the Very Hungry Caterpillar.