The tree will already have used its energy to start new growth, and will.
It is best done in late spring when your Laurel is starting to grow again as any brown branches will soon be covered in new shoots if you do it at this time of year. Glendurgan Garden in Cornwall had a cherry laurel maze that became overgrown and woody so they cut it back to the base a number of years ago. Perform maintenance pruning when the bush is dormant, either in winter or in summer's heat.
Flower buds develop on the ends of branches during August, remaining dormant through the winter.
A laurel has long, smooth glossy leaves, woody stems and flowers in spring.
Pruning. May 01, I'm assuming it's the bog standard one. They can be hacked any old time. I'd avoid doing it if you have severe frost forecast (as with any shrub really) but that's about the only time. They recover from that anyway. Box is different - late May /early June. Aug 20, Most routine pruning is done to remove infestation, weak, dead or diseased branches, and can be completed at any time during the year with little effect on the tree.
Pruners should know as a rule, growth and wound closure are heightened if pruning happens in late winter before a spring growth spurt, confirms the ISA’s tree-pruning guide. There is a dispute amongst gardeners as to when is the best time of year to prune your shrubbery.
Some say that fall is the way to go while others say spring. In my own experience, I prune in the spring. My reasoning is that it is easier for me to see what is going on with my plants.
Then, water every days for the first year. Water established plants every week in the summer, every weeks in the spring and once a month in the fall and winter. Train Texas mountain laurel into a small tree by continually shearing low growing branches and elevating the crown during the growing season.
Nov 16, Cut back mountain laurels to an overall height of 6 inches to 1 foot when they become leggy -- lose foliage in the bottom third of the plant -- or no longer flower well in the late winter to early.