The English Laurel (Prunus laurocerasus) is an evergreen shrub valued for its glossy, dense foliage and rapid growth. It is frequently used in landscapes as a fast-growing privacy screen, a formal hedge, or a large specimen shrub. Due to its vigorous nature, regular pruning is necessary to manage its size and maintain density, preventing it from becoming leggy or overgrown. Pruning stimulates new lateral growth, which is essential for a thick, visually appealing hedge or shrub.
Timing for Routine Maintenance and Shaping
The optimal time for annual maintenance pruning of English Laurel is typically in late spring or early summer, immediately after the plant has finished flowering. This timing allows the shrub to complete its main flush of spring growth and, if desired, its floral display before being cut. Pruning at this point encourages a second burst of growth, which quickly conceals the cut ends and maintains a neat appearance throughout the active growing season.
Cutting immediately after flowering minimizes the risk of removing next year’s flower buds. This schedule also ensures the plant has ample time to harden off new growth before winter frosts. Pruning too late in the season, such as after mid-August, can stimulate tender new shoots that are vulnerable to cold damage, potentially leading to dieback.
A secondary, lighter trim can be carried out in mid-summer if the hedge requires further tidying. If you are not concerned with the plant’s flowers, pruning can technically occur anytime between late spring and late summer. However, stop all trimming approximately two months before the area’s average first-frost date to ensure plant safety.
Techniques for Maintaining Plant Health and Appearance
The chosen pruning technique depends on the desired aesthetic, whether a formal hedge or a more natural, informal shrub.
Shearing for Formal Hedges
For formal hedges, shearing involves using hedge trimmers or electric clippers to achieve a uniform, sharp surface. This method is fast and effective for shaping. However, it inevitably cuts some broad leaves in half, which can temporarily result in a brown or ragged appearance until new growth emerges.
Selective Pruning for Natural Shapes
For specimen shrubs or less formal hedges, selective pruning (hand pruning or heading back) is the preferred method. This technique uses hand pruners or loppers to make individual cuts on branches, removing them back to a leaf node, a lateral branch, or the main stem. Selective cuts hide the pruning wound, allowing new growth to look more natural and preventing the unsightly sight of bisected leaves.
When making a selective cut, the angle should be approximately 45 degrees, slanting away from the remaining bud or leaf node. This allows for effective water runoff and prevents stem rot. Cuts should always be made with clean, sharp tools to ensure a smooth wound that heals quickly, minimizing stress and susceptibility to disease. Cutting back to an outward-facing bud or branch encourages new growth to fill in the exterior, promoting a denser canopy structure.
To ensure sunlight reaches the lower foliage, the sides of a hedge should be trimmed so the base is slightly wider than the top. This slight taper prevents the lower sections from becoming bare and woody. Regular, light pruning promotes bushier growth by interrupting the plant’s apical dominance, forcing energy into lateral buds.
Severe Pruning for Overgrown Laurels
When an English Laurel is significantly overgrown, woody, or too large, it can undergo rejuvenation pruning, a drastic process that cuts the plant back hard. This species is remarkably resilient and tolerates being cut back into old, bare wood, unlike many other evergreens. This severe reduction should be scheduled for the plant’s dormant season, specifically in late winter or very early spring, before substantial new growth begins.
Pruning during dormancy minimizes shock because the plant is not actively expending energy on foliage and can divert stored resources toward recovery. Cutting back into the bare wood will appear stark initially, but spring temperatures will quickly stimulate vigorous new shoots to emerge from latent buds. This technique can reduce the plant’s height and width by half or more, sometimes down to a low framework or stump.
After this hard renovation, the shrub temporarily loses its screening capability. It often takes two to three seasons for the foliage to fully re-establish a dense screen. To manage the temporary visual impact, gardeners sometimes reduce only one side of a hedge in the first year, tackling the other side later after the initial cut has begun to recover. Providing the plant with fertilizer and mulch after a severe cut aids recovery by supplying nutrients and conserving soil moisture.