Hello all. I have a shrub that I am pretty sure is a Laurel Nobilus. The leaves and flowers match those I have seen online, however, mine has grown mostly OUT, rather than UP. It is overgrown.... I would like to reduce it in size by about a half. Does anyone know if it will come back if I prune it back to wood? Thanks!!!
the laurel in question This is a close up of the Laurel shrub in question. Does anyone know how to trim it back by about a half overall? I don't want to lose it but it is really overgrown for the space. This is one of my primary projects this year. Ivy and a honeysuckle have overtaken the underside of it. The whole area is in need of attention. Thank you!
Hello, and welcome to the Stew! Looking forward to hanging out with you. I have to ask what zone you're in. Are you certain it's a L. nobilis? I'm asking because I think it looks a lot like a Prunus laurocerasus, Cherry laurel.
NO! I am not sure at all about what it is, other than some sort of Laurel. That's why I've been hesitant to trim it back as far as it needs to be... I've read where different types of laurels respond differently to a hard prune.... My zone is right on the edge of 7a and 6b. What do you think?
Now I have done more research online. I think you are right Droopy -- the flowers do look more like Cherry Laurel. Thank you for pointing that out! Now, what to do about the pruning.
My mother said that cherry laurel takes well to pruning if you're careful and don't prune it all the way back to the old wood. It won't sprout from old wood. But if you cut the branches and twigs back and still have leaves on them you ought to be fine. And she wishes you luck with your garden project. I asked her because she was here earlier when I read your post. I rarely do anything I haven't done before in my garden without consulting mom.
Thank you so much for checking and sharing your opinion(s). You have really helped me out!!! (My mom knew everything there was to know about gardening too...) So, today I looked very closely at my laurel ... It was being nearly choked by ivy and vines so I dug those out and trimmed out all the dead wood. There are some bare spots now...but it looks MUCH better and sun and air will be able to get in there. There are a lot of new shoots started pretty far back in the older wood so I am optimistic about giving it a good prune, especially since you and your mom agree! I now think it doesn't need to be cut back quite as far as I originally thought. Once it blooms I'll trim it back and then plan to give it another big trim next spring to get it to a better size. You know, researching this Laurel is what brought me to Garden Stew. So I'm feeling very appreciative of that shrub! One more thing -- I found a Laurel seedling growing in the nearby bed! Very cute. So I'll put it in my nursery and find a spot for it... Thank you again, Droopy!!
