Willing the hedging to grow taller

It has been some months since the hedge was unceremoniously cut down between us and a neighbour. The hedge was in his garden, it was 35 years old but we had tended outside for over 15 years so felt particularly aggrieved because the loss impacted on our privacy. This is the 7 holes that were prepared for the laurel hedging I ordered in as soon as the neighbour cut down the 10 foot high hedge. 

It opened our gardens up to the three houses that butt up to our side wall & left us with a loss of the greenery & some privacy. None of the houses there have young children but it has made it noisier as sound travels & there is more wind too through the garden. 

The said neighbour has a lovely lush green view of our large tree & laurels on the opposite side, our lower neighbours privacy is via our lush planting on that side. A few trees lose their leaves in Autumn but most of our garden is evergreens because of the constant view that I love so much. 

   

However, we were quick to order in cherry laurels that were supposed to be between 150-160cm tall. They were at the lower size & I have lavished attention on them all summer, staking them to make them grow straight & tall; feeding them, moving pots of geraniums between them to shelter their roots so they don't dry out etc. I have watched every centimetre of growth, willing them to have a growth spurt ... 

They have gained a little height, not nearly as much as I would have loved but at least they are established ahead of winter. 

I wonder if I should have gone the extra mile & ordered in the larger ones at twice the price? 

With Autumn setting in, I know that gap in the hedges will be evident all winter & that the poor weather will impact on the garden where it used to be so sheltered by the hedges. However, it is what it is & we are where we are in a garden & home we love so I can just hope for extra growth next summer. 

Any hints to get them growing more? 

Thank you for stopping by, I'm sure you are preparing for the next season too, 

Dee