Knowing when to prune your laurel bushes (also known as cherry laurel and Portuguese laurel) is key to keeping them healthy and encouraging new growth. The right pruning at the right time can determine the shape, size and flowering of these common garden shrubs.

When to Trim and Prune Laurel

The best times to prune laurel hedges and bushes are in early spring, before too much new growth emerges, or in mid to late summer, once the first flush of new growth has hardened off.

Pruning in early spring allows you to shape the hedge or bush while it is still dormant. Waiting for warmer weather prevents frost damage to new cuts. You can then do a second trim in summer to keep fast growing varieties under control. Mid to late summer pruning avoids cutting off developing flower buds for varieties that bloom.

For the maximum growth and lush foliage, pruning just twice a year is usually sufficient. Too much pruning can actually stunt its growth for that season.

How to Prune Laurel

When ready to prune your laurel bushes, arm yourself first with a pair of sharp bypass hand pruners for smaller stems, long handled bypass loppers for thicker branches up to half an inch diameter, and garden shears and small pruning saw for old wood.

Here are the basic steps to follow:

1. Remove Dead Wood – First scan the laurel and cut away any dead or diseased wood, cutting back to just above healthy wood. This helps limit disease and encourages regrowth.
2. Cut for Shape – Assess the current shape and size of your laurel shrub. Does it need reduced height or width? Would a more rounded, square or conical shape be preferable? Identify older inner stems that can be removed to rejuvenate the plant and any wayward or awkward branches that need shortening.
3. Make your cuts just above an outward facing bud, leaf joint or another healthy stem at roughly a 45 degree angle. This helps water drain off properly.
4. Prune for Thickness – For the remaining outer layer of healthy stems, tip prune by cutting back the new soft shoot growth by about a third. This encourages the stems to thicken and regrow bushier foliage.
5. Remove Suckers & Water Shoots – Check for any thinner vertical stems sprouting up from ground level or the shrub’s base. These suckers sap energy so should be completely removed. Also cut away any water shoots – long whippy green shoots racing ahead of other new growth.
6. Water & Mulch – After your pruning session, be sure to deeply water the area and top dress with garden compost or bark chip mulch around the base to reduce moisture loss and suppress weeds.

Pruning for Height or Spread

Pruning technique can also be used to deliberately alter the eventual height and spread of your laurel shrubs. Here’s how:

• Height – To limit the height, cut the top central leader stem back substantially in early spring. This stunts upward growth so foliage fills out more at head height. You can continue lightly tip pruning upper stems in summer as well.
• Spread – To widen the shrub quicker, shorten side shoots by a half in spring instead, thinning inner stems to allow better light penetration. Then cut side shoots by just a third in summer allowing the wingspan to expand.

Additional Laurel Care Tips:

• Mulch annually with garden compost or well-rotted manure.
• Water deeply during dry spells.
• Check for aphids under leaves and spray off with hose.
• Avoid planting too deeply when installing new shrubs.

Follow this seasonal advice on when and how to best prune your laurel bushes, and you will have great results – whether you want towering backdrops or fuller, wider privacy hedging.