Two years ago, the people in charge of landscaping my house planted a very short laurel hedge (2 feet high) along the outside of my picket fence. I have watered and fertilized it, but it has hardly grown an inch, and I'm wondering what I can do to make it grow faster. I've also noticed that they produce a lot of seeds/berries. Should I be pruning these? Please help me, I need some privacy in my backyard soon!
Hi Katya--if your 2 foot tall laurels are already flowering, I suspect these are the dwarfish type (Otto Luyken/Zabeliana/or such). These won't give you privacy. If they are indeed the full sized english laurel, with wide leaves, they could benefit from some fertilizer, mulch and regular watering thru the growing season. With a bit of help, they will take over that area of your yard! How large is a typical leaf of your laurels? That info should confirm the sort you have...
Some of the leaves measure up to approximately 6 inches in length and 3 inches in width. I hope this is the full-size English Laurel!
Thanks for that, Katya...indeed sounds like the large laurel. I was surprised it was flowering at such a young age, but I haven't had these in my own garden since a kid. They grow great in our area once settled in...the usual things as mentioned should help your plants to fill in and privacy will happen in just a few years.
If you don't have mulch around them, that can explain a lot. If you have mulch, that's a bit of a slow start.
I have a new laurel hedge too. I was told to fertilize. work bone meal in the soil plus mulch for sure. I use the slow release fertilizer and I put it around when it is raining.
Wouldn't both with the bone meal unless a soil test indicated a calcium and/or phosphorous deficiency--otherwise it can actually do harm. Most un-tilled soils around here on the coast have plenty of Ca and P already. For more, see: http://puyallup.wsu.edu/~linda chalker-scott/horticultural myths_files/Myths/Bonemeal.pdf
