Those plants (Prunus laurocerasus) are almost impossible to kill in climates where they thrive. Cut away as much as you like. You can cut them down to stumps and they'll shoot back up in no time.

if the window MUST be installed ... then just do it ..

i presume this is a fire escape for the basement ... if so.. who cares about the plant ... just do it... what will be.. will be.. as far as the plant is concerned ...

ken

Yes, it's an egress window for the basement and I have no choice on where it goes. Is there something I should treat the root with after I cut it? Trying to do all I can to save this tree...

I wouldn't treat or worry about the roots (I don't think there is anything useful you can put on the cut ends anyway). In fact if you are in the Pacific Northwest/Lower Mainland despite it continuing to be sold and planted Prunus laurocerasus is actually a nuisance plant in parks and other wooded sites in local cities and towns, its seedlings forming thickets of alien growth. If yours were my situation I would cut the top growth back to wherever the property boundary was and keep it there, reclaim my space. Including having room to move and letting light in.

Thanks - I guess I just have a lot of respect for what's been in the yard here as it's old and well established (and looks pretty to me, even if it's a nuisance)...

The message is that P laurocerasus doesn't need any help to survive. You can happily hack away at it, above or below ground, and it will not be remotely fazed.

Have you recently moved in? Because that shrub has clearly been pruned back not so long ago. The pale sections of growth at the branch tips are all from this year. That gives you an idea of its vigour.

Yes - I just moved in a few months ago. I know the former owner pruned those shrubs a lot.

Thank you to all for your advice on the laurel shrub - very helpful. One more question - should I prune it now? Or wait until a specific time of year? And finally, is there a good source of information on how to prune properly? I am a city girl learning how to garden...

It won't make a difference. It would be pruned by cutting it back near the ground in winter.

No heavy equipment involved and I will definitely cover up the roots - thank you for the advice!

There are NO dry periods in winter in the Puget Sound area!! And English laurels grow like weeds here.......in fact, they are on the verge of being considered noxious weeds because they spread so aggressively and into natural areas. In this location and climate they are difficult to damage, let alone kill - you could run over them with a dump truck and they would recover rapidly so there is no bad time to prune. Really, any time and as hard as you want, as stated previously.

Cutting a few roots, even large ones, is nothing to a laurel of this size. Carry on with your plans without worry.

I will carry on! :)

Back again to say yet again that this shrub needs no special care. You could chop away 3/4 of the root mass and it would not even notice. As to pruning it, you can cut it back whenever or wherever you like. You will not do it one jot of harm. These are a weed species in some woodlands here.

May-June is the ideal time to prune these.

Ah - my timing is excellent then!

I don't mean to hijack, but I have a related question related to laurels. Would similar advice apply to cherry laurels in north Georgia? I have several in forest shade (kind of a “thicket", 25 feet tall) that seem to have been planted as a privacy screen of sorts about fifteen years ago. They are more tree-like with a main stem and smaller side branches. Can I just hack them back to a few feet short of whatever height I want them, and they'll grow back in within a year or two?

If you mean Prunus caroliniana (the common name 'cherry laurel' is also used frequently to refer to English laurel, Prunus laurocerasus) then yes, it can be treated virtually the same as the plants are very closely related.

Yes, ryanga.