In general, yes they can be moved and now is a good time to do so. However, you left some important info out of your post....where are you located? How big are the laurels?

@gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9) we're in north NJ, zone 7. The laurels are about 7' tall.

Since they have only been in the ground since last year, they should transplant easily. Just be sure to keep them watered as needed.

@ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5 great NYC area, zone 7, they were 6' when planted last spring.

They grow to 18' how big a tree do you want these are huge so I need info. Buying and planting large trees is a big deal IMO the best is to get a tree that is smaller and let it be happy as it ages in the space they grew a foot in a year what is the reason for what you are doing IMO these are not ideal for along a driveways since they also get 7' wide I need more info.

6-7 foot laurels are easily moveable. And they are also one of the most prunable of BLE's (after boxwood) so can be kept to any height or width desired. English laurel hedges abound where I live and many are just the straight species, which can get 3 times the size of skip laurel. Amazing how even these can fit into just about landscape situation one can think of :-)

I have 20 skip laurels that are now 8' high, very thick and dense – planted only 18" apart. Can I dig up some and move to another location? Or, are they planted too close together so trying to dig them up will kill them? Thanks!

trying to dig any up.. without a back hoe.. might kill yourself ... lol ... i would bet you cant even get a shovel in due to all the roots..

i would not suspect any success on moving any.. and severe damage to those left in place..

learn how to propagate them.. and start some small new ones.. if you need more..

and forget about the ones there.. presuming they are growing just fine...

if you want more information about your project.. start your own post...

ken

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=skip+laurel+propagation&t=ffab&iax=videos&ia=videos