Will Laurel take in this soil?

I have a pallet of Laurel arriving later this week for the front garden. Down one side of the fence there used to be an old concrete path - the soil underneath appears to be really bad, I've dug down about a 1.5ft and it's a mixture of cement, soil and is pretty hard to get through. Will they grow there or should I be taking extra steps.

I've upload some photos which may give an idea (or not!) - any help appreciated - thanks.

http://i65.tinypic.com/30j4api.jpg

http://i65.tinypic.com/30j4api.jpg

 

Thanks, I will get on it!

 

Like @JWK I would advise improving the soil so that the laurels' roots can get better establisment. Laurels can be somewhat tempramental when they're planted.

As an anecdote (and 100% true), last year I help a guy plant approx 40 x 8ft laurels in root sacks, which the customer paid nearly £3000 for. At the top end of the garden, the soil was practically non-existent and underneath was nothing but broken up bricks and pan tiles from an old farm building that used to be there.

About halfway down the plot, it turned to decent soil. After 6 months or so, half the laurels were dead because the owner had over-watered them and the ones that survived and thrived were the ones that were planted in the worst soil with all the debris surrounding them.

Laurels are fickle hedges/trees indeed and getting the right balance can sometimes be a nightmare as I've witnessed elsewhere.

 

Well, I've taken quite a few steps to improve the soil - how often should I water these puppies?

They are 4-5ft pot grown laurel.