Someone wants me to trim their laurel hedge. The only thing is the hedge hasn't been trimmed for years and the leaves are a great distance from the main trunk. They want the hedge narrowed significantly. If I was too cut the hedge back to the width desired there would be no laurel leaves remaining on either side of the hedge just the trimmed branches and trunk. Would a laurel hedge survive such a trimming in early August with no leaves and come back in the years to come?
Yes, it will sprout from behind most of the cuts. They will have to look at bareness for some time beforehand.
So the laurel hedge is about 15 feet wide and 10 feet high. If i cut the width to about 5 feet there would be no foliage on the sides of the hedge. Would the foliage begin to come back this year or next year? Should i leave the top with foliage?
Unless soil on site is naturally moist and retentive, for much sprouting this year watering and mulching should be employed. Even with this it is still likely to not regain anything like full coverage for maybe a couple years. Sheared hedges should have the tops narrower than the bottoms, so that the lower parts are not shaded.
Yes, absolutely English laurel will sprout new leaves from old wood. We've done it before and it takes about 2-3 years to fill in again. Watch this video with professional tips & discover hedge trimming: