How to make laurel grow into each other and bushy

Cut out the tops of the stems by about a third. This makes the plant put out side shoots.

agree with Steragram , take the tops out

And if you have planted the common laurel, prunus laurocerasus, you will be wondering in about 5 years time whatever posessed you to plant them,!!! Derek.

As long as you keep them trimmed to the height you want they'll be fine. It is one of the hedging plants I can deal with by myself because the wood is soft to cut with loppers and easy to handle and chop up for the council's green bin, You can nip any small protruding twigs off with secateurs at any time. It's quite rewarding as you get the desired result quite quickly. I wouldn't use shears as the leaves look unattractive when sliced through. It also provides good shelter for birds.

About April May time

I'm very curious as to which laurel you mean - spotted laurel (Aucuba japonica) or cherry laurel (Prunus laurocerasus)?

Also, with any hedge plant, be sure to trim them so the top of the hedge is a little narrower than the base. Otherwise, the base gets leggy and shows a lot of bare wood. This is more important with some species than with others, but I don't know where common laurel fits on the spectrum.