I have a 130' long Dwarf Laurel hedge, 15' high X 12' wide It has not been trimmed for 2 years.The recent ice storm trimmed it somewhat,which has forced me to take action on my own. Does it have a chance of survival if I cut it down to about 6' high or should I just pull it out and start over? I would be thankful for any information you can give me.
I suggest you do the normal maintenance pruning and preserve the hedge. Maintenance pruning involves:
- Remove all dead, damaged or diseased branches. This can be done at any time.
- Head-back any overly long branches.
- Thin the shrub by removing up to 1/3 of the branches back to their origination point. This should be done right after blooming.
By using this method each year, the shrubs will always have newer and healthier growth. Note that you should not remove more than 1/3 of the canopy in any given year. If one or more shrubs has been severely damaged (killing a portion of the canopy) take this into account when deciding how much of the healthy growth to remove.
Good luck with your hedge.
