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  Richard Boyd February 23, 2011 at 7:05pm

  What are the branches like Donny?
  
  If they are black then they are probably dead. At 20 feet it is unlikely the plant is completely dead but you will probably need to cut back quite hard taking off the top 3-4 feet as well. Give them a really good feed (quarterly) as the plants will be weak and make sure that it does not go unwatered during the year as it will need to recover in time for potentially another bad winter.
  
  We kept a few Bays back from last year to see what would happen and those that were weak died during this winters onslaught.
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  T & S Plants February 23, 2011 at 7:10pm

  Hi Donny,

   

  We have sold Laurus nobilis at this size, so expert, you decide.

   

  We would wait until the end of April to see what happens.

   

  Then, if needed prune out any dead/damaged foliage do so.

   

  If you have any questions beyond then, please email us at swlc@btconnect.com and we will try my best to help.
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  Marie-Plews Garden Design February 23, 2011 at 7:43pm

  definitely first thing to do is check for life; assuming still alive, I'd lightly prune now - assuming no frost threatened, obviously, as this allows you to have a look at the cross section of the branch and check the Bay's vital signs. assuming it looks ok, then I'd go with pruning in April (post frost) and feeding.

  this has been successful tactic with suspect Bay before, although it looked unhappy for a good year or so

  but I will, of course, bow to anyone here who has superior knowledge - I might learn something too!

   
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  Donny Bryan February 24, 2011 at 6:50pm

  Many thanks for the help.

   

  I visited customer today to take a look. They are alive so there is hope. Pruning, feeding, mulching and watering during dry weather is the prescription. Let's hope it works - they are rather stunning.