5 Foot Laurels - Pruning

Vtwin

I got a 5 foot Laurel Hedge planted in October 2010 (50 metres), just before the really cold weather hit. It looked good up to May last year and then decided to kick the bucket.
The guy who planted it (to his credit), came back and replanted the whole thing again (no additional charge), in Sept last year.
The hedge is now jumping out of it and I am wondering if I should prune it back a small bit this year or leave it (to further establish itself) until next year?
Many thanks
Vtwin

looksee

You do not have to leave a hedge (or indeed most plants) to establish before cutting them back. Even if you put in cuttings it is a good idea to take off some of the new growth as the plant then has less to support while it is getting established.

The sooner you shorten the leaders of your plants the sooner they will become bushier and more likely to fill out to the bottom of the stems.

Vtwin

Thanks! If it ever stops raining I will take a wee bit off the top.
Do you think I should also give the side a trim as well ?

looksee

Yes, no harm. The scruffiest hedges are the result of people thinking they should just leave them to grow to the required size before starting to trim them. They will grow just as quickly (honestly) and much better looking if you start to train them early on.