Spotted laurel looking sad

[HaveYouSeenHerLately]

I inherited a spindly looking spotted laurel 18 months ago when I moved into this house. It's only 18-24" tall and mostly stalk with a few leaves on the ends

I relocated it immediately as it had been planted under a hedge It's now in a NE facing bed with plenty of room albeit clay soil (everything else around it is thriving, mind).

Is there anything I can do to revive it? It's been in its new spot a year and has rallied, putting on a few new leaves at the tips however they seem to turn a paler green fairly quickly, and some are going a bit brown/ falling. I'm wondering if something has got at the roots?

I'm in the SE so the clay soil doesn't get waterlogged. I water the garden regularly in this heat (at night).

Would pruning help reinvigorate it? The current ratio of stalk to leaves isn't very pleasing I'm loathe to give up on it though...

[HaveYouSeenHerLately]

*I meant my particular clay soil hasn't been waterlogged in the last 18months as we've had barely any rain!

[HaveYouSeenHerLately]

Hopeful bump

[LostInMusic]

Laurel usually responds well to pruning, so I would give it quite a hard prune, give it a feed and see if it responds. If it's been in its current spot for a year, I wouldn't water it either, especially if it's in clay soil. I hope it pulls through!

[HaveYouSeenHerLately]

Thank you!

[wowfudge]

We had a sickly spotted laurel and I gave it a last chance scalping by way of hard pruning - looks so much healthier a couple of years later.