The "Height Trap": Why You Must Cut Your Cherry Laurel to Make It Grow

The Dilemma

A homeowner recently asked:

I planted these Cherry Laurels last June and want them to reach 7 feet for privacy, but they look thin and see-through at the tops. How should I prune them this spring to get that dense, gap-free look?

The GardenOwl Diagnosis

The Scenario

You have a classic new-build situation here: a paved driveway, a narrow planting bed, and a desperate need for privacy from the neighbors. Avoiding these common landscape design mistakes is crucial not just for function, but for maintaining curb appeal. You planted Cherry Laurels (Prunus laurocerasus)—a solid choice for a fast-growing, evergreen screen. They have been in the ground for about nine months (since June), they have settled in, and now you are staring at them, willing them to hit that magic 7-foot mark so you can stop looking at the siding of the house next door.

The Trap

Here is the mistake 90% of homeowners make: You are afraid to cut them because you want height.

It feels counter-intuitive. You want a tall wall, so you let the vertical branches race toward the sky. But look closely at your photo. See how the tops are wispy and you can see right through them? That is called "legginess." If you let them keep growing straight up, you won't get a privacy hedge; you will get a row of skinny trees with transparent tops and bare, woody bottoms.

The Solution: The "Snip and Feed"

To get that dense, British-garden style hedge, you need to intervene. You have to sacrifice a little height now to get the thickness you want later. Here is the protocol:

1. Break the Apical Dominance

Plants have a hormone flow that pushes energy to the highest tip (the apex). As long as that tip is intact, the plant ignores the side branches. You need to cut 6 inches off the top of the tallest vertical branches right now.

Yes, it hurts to cut off the height you waited months for. Do it anyway. By removing that top tip, you force the plant to redirect its energy into the lateral (side) buds. This explosion of side growth is what knits the plants together to close those gaps.

2. Put the Hedge Trimmers Away

Do not—I repeat, do not—take a pair of electric hedge trimmers to a Cherry Laurel. These plants have large, glossy leaves. If you run a mechanical shear over them, you will slice the leaves in half. Those cut edges will turn brown, die back, and open the door for fungal issues (like Shot Hole disease).

Use sharp bypass hand pruners. Reach into the plant and make your cuts just above a leaf node (where a leaf joins the stem). It takes longer, but the finish is cleaner, and the plant stays green.

3. The "Batter" (Don't Build a Wall)

A vertical wall blocks the sun from its own feet. If the top is as wide as the bottom, the lower branches get shaded out and die, leaving you with ugly, bare trunks.

Prune the hedge so it is a trapezoid, not a rectangle. Keep the base slightly wider than the top. This allows sunlight to hit the bottom leaves, keeping the hedge lush all the way to the mulch line.

4. Feed the Beast

Since these were planted in June, their root systems are established enough to handle a push. Apply a slow-release granular fertilizer formulated for acid-loving evergreens (like Holly-tone) right now. This will fuel the "spring flush" of new growth that follows your pruning cuts.

Visualizing the Result

Pruning is scary because once you cut, you can't paste it back. This is where GardenDream acts as your safety net. Before you make a single cut, you can upload your photo to see exactly where the density needs to be improved.

Furthermore, if you are worried about the "leggy" look while you wait for them to fill in, use the tool to test out underplanting ideas. A layer of Liriope or Pachysandra can hide the bare stems at the bottom while the top fills out. Seeing it digitally first prevents you from buying flats of plants that don't fit the vibe.

If you want to spot hidden opportunities in your own yard or validate your pruning plan, upload a photo to our Exterior Design App to get an instant diagnosis and visualize the transformation.