Cherry Laurel in small front garden

argesia-robusta

I have three cherry laurels in the front of my garden (approx 3ft tall) which I am hoping will eventually grow to be approx 5ft tall and will bush out to form a dense hedge.

However, the cherry laurels were planted in April last year and as of yet, do not seem to have grown at all? Does anyone have any advice on how I can improve my cherry laurels to make them grow into a nice dense hedge? They were planted with fish, blood and bone initially and the soil is often damp so I don't think they need any watering?

Appreciate any advice! Thank you.

Fairygirl

The grass should all have been cleared to create a border before planting.
It's all competition.
However, they will have been forming a root system, and look perfectly healthy, so they should grow well this year. It's worth removing all that grass and adding a mulch of compost to give them a boost. You can do that anytime. 
A mulch of something substantial like bark, after they've had plenty of water over winter, will help them retain it during hotter, drier spells too. 

steephill

I would clear the grass from around their feet and use a composted bark mulch to keep them weed free. I would also cut those tall shoots down by half to encourage bushy growth.

argesia-robusta

OK, thank you both steephill and fairygirl for your advice!

Dovefromabove

The sum total of our knowledge re growing a handsome thick laurel hedge is contained in this thread 

https://forum.gardenersworld.com/discussion/656523/help-needed-please-with-laurel-hedge-issues/p1

read it and you’ll know all you need to know 😊 

argesia-robusta

OK, thank you Dovefromabove, I'll give it a read now!