Question
I live in Salt Lake City, Utah and have about 20 or so large laurels along my backyard fence (I am not sure of the specific species).  A few look relatively healthy but most of them have brown, dry, and cracking leaves.  Should I prune them back?  Any help identifying this problem and suggested solutions would be great.

Answer
Ben,

I would start by first examining the trunks of the laurels, look for any holes. Laurels can be attacked by several borers (insects that borrow under the bark killing the plant).

If there are no signs of borers, then was the area disturbed? Root damage can cause the plants to die oof quickly.

Was there a sudden drop in temperature? It could be winter dessication.

Since I cannot look at the plant, I would recommend calling a certified arborist to examine them and diagnose the problem.

Good luck,
Ed Gulliksen