Laurel hedge calendar

Laurel is an easy plant, but timing still matters. Trim at the wrong time and you get frost-blackened shoots. Plant bare-root laurel in May and it’ll struggle. This calendar is written for the UK. In the far north and on high ground, push the spring jobs back by a couple of weeks. In mild coastal gardens you can often start a little earlier.

Bare-root and rootballed laurel can go in whenever the ground isn’t frozen or waterlogged. If the soil sticks to your boots, wait. Knock heavy snow off the tops of hedges before it splays the branches apart. Move potted bay trees against a house wall, raise the pots on feet so they drain, and wrap the pots if a hard frost is forecast. It’s the roots in the pot that are most at risk.

Keep planting bare-root and rootballed hedging while the plants are dormant. Have a good look along your hedges for wind damage and broken branches, and plan any hard pruning for next month. If you’re planting this spring, dig and prepare the ground now so it can settle.

This is the month for cutting back an overgrown or leggy laurel hard, just before the spring growth starts. See our guide to cutting back an overgrown laurel hedge. It’s also the start of the nesting season, so check the hedge carefully before you cut and leave any section with an active nest. Feed hedges with a general fertiliser as the soil warms, then mulch after rain. It’s the last month for planting bare-root laurel.

Pot-grown laurel can be planted from now on, as long as you’re ready to water it. Keep new hedges watered in any dry spell, as April is often drier than people expect. Pull weeds from the base of young hedges. On bay, look out for leaves with thickened, curled, yellowing edges. That’s bay sucker, and picking off the affected leaves is usually enough.

Laurel puts out its big flush of new growth. Some older leaves will yellow and drop at the same time, which is normal. Once the new shoots have firmed up towards the end of the month, formal hedges can have their first light trim. Check for nests first. Wet springs bring shothole, so keep an eye out for small holes in the leaves.

The main trimming month for many hedges. Pick a dry, overcast day, and use sharp blades. Water new hedges deeply once or twice a week if it’s dry, rather than a little every day. Bay trees and standards can be trimmed and shaped now that the spring growth has hardened.

Give formal hedges a second trim if they need it. Keep watering anything planted in the last year or two, especially in pots and against walls. Check bay for scale insects, small brown bumps on the undersides of leaves and along the stems, often with sticky, sooty leaves nearby. If you see notches bitten out of leaf edges, vine weevils are about.

Do the last main trim of the year this month or early next. Treat pots of laurel and bay with vine weevil nematodes while the compost is still warm. It’s also a good time to take semi-ripe cuttings of laurel and bay if you want free plants. Keep watering new hedges.

Finish trimming by the middle of the month, and no later than the end. Late trimming triggers soft growth that gets damaged by frost. Early autumn is the best time of year to plant pot-grown laurel, as the soil is still warm and roots get going before winter. Order bare-root plants now for delivery from November.

Keep planting pot-grown laurel. Rootballed laurel starts to become available. Rake up and bin fallen leaves from under hedges that had shothole. In colder areas, move potted bay to a sheltered spot towards the end of the month.

The bare-root season opens, which is the cheapest time to plant a new hedge. Get plants in the ground within a day or two of delivery, or heel them into a spare bit of soil until you’re ready. Water them in well, even if it’s wet. Protect bay in pots from the first hard frosts.

Keep planting bare-root and rootballed laurel when the ground allows. Cut a few stems of bay or laurel for a Christmas wreath. Our guide to laurel wreaths has ideas. Cherry and Portuguese laurel are fine for decoration, but never use their leaves in cooking. Only bay is edible. Brush snow off hedges after heavy falls.

Use our hedge calculator to plan a new hedge, and see the laurel hedge care guide for more on trimming and feeding.