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Something went wrong with my laurel hedge

VerdigrisVerdigris Posts: 4
in The potting shed
What is the reason for this damage? Can anyone recommend the best treatment, please?
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  • treehugger80treehugger80 Posts: 1,915
    could be slug, snail or vine weevil damage, could also be fungal or damage from hail...or a combination of all of them
  • FairygirlFairygirl west central ScotlandPosts: 30,989
    There's also shot hole disease which laurel often suffers from. 
    What size is/are the hedging plants, what conditions do you have, how long have the plants been in,  and have you got a pic of the wider area?

    Laurel is pretty indestructible, so it's unlikely to be disastrous  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....


  • Papi JoPapi Jo Brittany, France Posts: 2,607
    Fairygirl said:
    Laurel is pretty indestructible, so it's unlikely to be disastrous  :)
    Alas!
    You are invited to a virtual visit of my garden (in English or in French).
  • philippasmith2philippasmith2 Posts: 8,494
    Ditto :(
  • BobTheGardenerBobTheGardener Leicestershire, UKPosts: 9,305
    Looks like a 'shot hole' disease to me too.  It's something which you can only really treat by improving the growing conditions, so the first thing I would try is pulling the mulch back and hand-forking in a bit of fish, blood & bone fertlizer, followed by a good watering then replacing the mulch.  Are there any large shrub or tree branches overhead?
    A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
  • VerdigrisVerdigris Posts: 4

    To Fairygirl/Bob the Gardener.

    Thanks for your replies.

    The garden was created from scratch last summer so the Laurels have been in for about 1yr now, they are about 30cm and run along the wall. and get sun all day. There is nothing overhanging them.
  • BobTheGardenerBobTheGardener Leicestershire, UKPosts: 9,305
    They don't look too bad really and should be fine in the longer term.  If your weather was anything like mine last year, the long periods without rain won't have helped as newly planted shrubs need regular watering for about a year to establish properly.  I would still go with feeding and watering them - at least a bucketful each initially and half that once a week if it hasn't rained.  If you have been watering them, I suspect they just don't like the soil there very much and feeding should help.  I'd take off the worst affected leaves, especially any at the top of the plants which have brown spots to prevent infection falling onto the leaves below.
    A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
  • treehugger80treehugger80 Posts: 1,915
    they look quite close to the wall, they might start heaving the wall in a few years
  • FairygirlFairygirl west central ScotlandPosts: 30,989
    Too close together too...

    I don't think they look bad either. They're small, but healthy looking. I' d let them get on with it. They should get plenty of water now, unless you live in a very dry area, so they'll be fine by spring. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....


  • VerdigrisVerdigris Posts: 4
    Hi guys. Thanks for all answers.

    They are dwarfs. Maximum 2m height and 80 cm width expected.
    We live on the coast, near Lytham, planted them last September, after last year's heatwave. And we water them regularly, if weather is dry.


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