growth rates usually depend on where you are.. big city name...

can we get a closer pic or two ...

how were they planted..

first.. it will take a year or two for the roots to become established.. and once that happens .. THEN they will start to grow up and out... and accomplish your goal ...

i hope you can wait long enough.. if you wanted immediate gratification. you should have gone with a vinyl or wooden fence...

whats your plan for keeping them properly watered next year... often lawn irrigation is not great ... they should get a deep soaking when needed.. rather than light superficial waterings.. their roots will be mush deeper than grass roots...

review link below

ken

https://sites.google.com/site/tnarboretum/Home/planting-a-tree-or-shrub

Ken,

This is in Maryland. They were planted by a professional landscaping company. They used an auger and shovels to dig the holes and backfilled them with MiracleGro and topped with hay. We'll add some mulch to them this weekend and plan to use a soaker hose on a timer to water them.

The internet says a spacing of 2-3 feet for a hedge would have been ideal, so we're a bit concerned.

Did the landscapers return the native soil to the holes? Usually, it is advisable to backfill with the soil that was dug out and not amend it. 5' apart is fine for the hedge. ETA: I hope they used pine straw and not hay as the mulch. Hay is usually full of weed seeds.

Since when mature, the shrubs will be 6-10 feet wide, a 5 foot spacing is ideal......2-3 feet is too tight. As noted above, the effect will not be immediate but given a couple of seasons, they will fill in and become quite dense.

I would also be slightly concerned about amending the planting holes with anything - what comes out goes back in!! Otherwise, you can develop soil interface and drainage issues. Professional landscapers should know that and address that correctly.

Keeping the shrubs well watered may be your best bet for rapid growth. These laurels respond well to evenly moist soils. Otherwise, these are very tough, durable and relatively rapidly growing plants that make an ideal midsize privacy edge.

NO! NOT spaced too far apart, these are HUGE and will grow fast. Did not have to supply any supplemental watering for mine in NJ. Your biggest issue will be keeping them in check (pruned), very vigorous plants and deer proof! They are nice plants for a shrub, they also have good heat and some drought resistance, no problems with pests.

These can get big. Not too far apart at all. Just keep them well watered. I've seen these die in droughty years.

Thank y'all so much for the reassurance. Very good to know. We'll be sure to keep them well watered and look forward to their growth over the next few years. Also, the landscapers informed me that they did in fact return the native soil to them with MiracleGro added thereafter.

Wow. You don't amend the planting hole, it all but guarantees circling roots within the hole. I also don't allow planting with an auger because it all but guarantees that as the soil settles the plant will end up too low. I've been doing this 30+ years and it never ceases to amaze me what people will do.