Garden Q&A: Hedge leaves have holes and are curling up. Why?

Whether you're a gardening beginner or expert, Irish Examiner columnist Peter Dowdall has the answer to your questions

Portuguese laurel hedge. File picture

I have a beautiful Portuguese laurel hedge that is about 15 years old. When I prune it I leave the trimmings at the base of the hedge as a form of compost. Recently, I noticed a lot of the leaves on the hedge had small holes and were curling up. I checked on an app and it diagnosed shothole disease. The solution advised was that I should remove all the dead cuttings — which I have now composted from under the hedge — but it seems a shame to remove them. What do you think?

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