pruned my huge laurel-what can i do with the thicker branches now

hi again, sorry i know i am flooding the site with stupid questions but just found you all and amazed at the quality of gardener knowledge here i am asking every question i have held in til now.

i have just severely pruned back a bully of a laurel hedge and am now left with some very thick - about 3-4-5 inch thick branches. i am thinking of neatening them up cutting them into about 1 foot lengths and laying them alongside to each other to make a rustic pathway to let me get through my large flower beds, but, i understand that this might be hazardous as the sap is poisonous to other plants. my question is could i seal the stumps or preserve them in some way so as to make this a usable resource. i have to find some use for them -i am afraid i am an old skinflint and cant bear to just throw stuff away.

just in case it is important it is a clay soil and i am desperate to get a free path through the beds as i am constantly in danger of damaging the hard earned tilled soil.

thanks in advance

 

Lollipop, trust me, there are no stupid questions on here, they are all legitimate queries. Is it possible for you to store these branches until they are dried? If not, I would take a chance and use them as you want.

 

thanks david, i can leave them behind the garage with the rest of the stuff i will find a use for one day, about 3 months or so should do it do you think?

 

Should be a nice winter job for you.:thumb: :D

 

Laurel contains a bit of cyanide, but as far as I know it won't leach out in to the surroundings, and it will gradually decompose. So I would just go ahead and use the wood.
The leaves if you have any, can be put in the compost heap. They are best shredded first otherwise they are slow to decompose