Taking charge of my Laurel Tree

[SRMMIKE]

We recently moved into a new home and it has a huge, 6m+, Laurel Tree. It is out of control and whilst I do not want to chop the thing down, I do want to trim it back significantly - but without killing it!

 

Where do I start? How much can I prune back? and how long between prunes? Dos and Don'ts?

 

Any help appreciated.

[Mick Dempsey]

I would say hit it as hard as you like, it’ll come back.

 

 

(almost certainly)

 

 

Now is good.

 

 

 

[Husqvarna King]

7 minutes ago, Mick Dempsey said:

I would say hit it as hard as you like, it’ll come back.

 

 

(almost certainly)

 

 

Now is good.

 

 

 

This?

[Steve Bullman]

And when Mick says hit it as hard as you like you can take it literally.  Cut it back to a 2ft stump and it will stocks grow back 

[kevinjohnsonmbe]

Nuc it, 3 years later you’ll wish you’d sent in ground troops as a follow up!

[Woodworks]

Sorry for a slight derail but is it still safe to cut it back when it's been wind burnt? Got a largish laurel hedge here that needs heavily cutting but back the freezing easterlies we had in March have left all the outer leaves distinctly brown

Edited April 9, 2018 by Woodworks

[kevinjohnsonmbe]

"Leaf" them on til the chance of last frost has passed (who'd have thought we'd be saying that mid April?) then bash it Beau!  

[Woodworks]

Thanks Kevin. 

 

ps sorry about the dodgy spelling. Dyslexic idiot typing

 

Edited April 9, 2018 by Woodworks

[nepia]

SRMMIKE, as everyone rightly says bash it; your biggest mistake would be to go gently.  The holly to the right would make a nicer feature tree than the shiny thing so perhaps cut the laurel down to ~6ft, then maintain it as a dense 8' shrub with the nicer holly above it..