who was in charge here???

at least he is still around and working with you ...

this is way outside the box.. but i might spray them with round up .. and when they die.. have him replace them with something you actually want ... lol

thats a joke .. i think ...

ken

Shothole on cherry or English laurels is not a cut-and-dried issue. It can have a pathogenic origin or it can be physiological....the result of cultural or growing conditions. And the pathogenic sources can be varied as well....bacterial as well as fungal. You need to determine the source of the problem before you can effectively treat or reduce the occurrence. Here is a shothole fact sheet published locally that explains the various issues involved and recommended treatment options. Again, you will need to identify the source of your shothole issue before you can treat effectively.

Grow out of it.......perhaps. Treatable or correctable......certainly.

But most importantly - as alluded to above - if you don't like the plants, ask your landscaper to remove them and replace with something more to your liking. This is YOUR garden and you are paying the landscape tab.....you get to call the shots!!

thank you! Here are some photos the lovely plants.

Burnt leaves on top, mostly bare stems below - these are in fact very poor specimens. Search 'Otto Luyken' to see what they are supposed to look like.

OK, so you have Prunus laurocerasus 'Otto Luyken'. You don't say where you live and that could be a factor. Newly installed laurels are more susceptible to shot hole than established ones. Also, sometimes a mid-season shearing will cause it to occur on new growth in summer. I have seen it be bad some seasons and not an issue in other seasons. I think you should live with your laurels for a few years and see what happens.

Have to say though, I don't see shothole in the pics you posted. Burnt tips could be from physical damage, or maybe salt buildup in pots, or possibly not keeping them watered.

Again, where is this?

Thanks Dave. We live in Ambler Pennsylvania just outside of Philly. There were a lot more shot holes but I pulled a lot of them off of the stems. They haven‘t been trimmed otherwise though. Maybe I should water them? They are in a north-facing location where the clay soil seems to always be moist (though I could be wrong), and have About two inches of black mulch around them with that mycelium throughout. Next we will use the uncolored hardwood mulch. I considered small bark nuggets but didn’t like the look of it, and it’s terribly expensive bc not available in bulk.