What is "Lightly watered every day to every other day?"

In any event, check the moisture status of the rootball. they dry out very rapidly once in the ground. They should be moderately moist. And that assumes that the surrounding soil was moist when you planted the tree.

And how close is "next to each other?"
May be too close.

thanks. they are about 3-4 feet apart. they aren't drowned e everyday, but they are watered with the hose.

Is your USDA Zone satisfactory for the use of cherry laurel in the landscape? If your zone is lower than USDA Zone 7, _Prunus caroliniana_ is not going to be a happy camper.

Since they were planted this spring, hardiness is not the issue, ...yet anyway. Likely it's a drying rootball issue. It may be something else, but this is most often the case. Poke your finger wayyyy down into the root ball and see if there is water getting in there or if it's just rolling off, leaving the root ball dry. If it's bone dry, your plant may not make it at this point. Perhaps with some deep, slow watering it will.

If you are in zone 7a, cherry laurels 'should' be OK, especially in a good microclimate most years. YOu might get some leaf loss in cold winters. Not recommended for open areas though until you get down to zone 7b

Are we clear what species is being discussed here? 'Cherry Laurel' is used for Prunus caroliniana and P laurocerasus.

flora uk brings up a point that may need to be taken a step further. Are we sure the two plants in question are really cherry laurels? Or could they be something else? I raise this question because you say the living one of the two specimens is blooming even as we speak. That is not the nature of _Prunus caroliniana_, which blooms in early spring--March, in the Southeastern United States, where it is native. However, there is that old adage that a plant blooms profusely when it thinks it's going to die. If the plants are truly _Prunus caroliniana_, that may be what is at play in this sad horticultural drama set in the Garden State.

Now that I re-read her question, likely they are Prunus laurocerasus, but jenniferrose will have to confirm. These are definitely hardier than Prunus caroliniana. But I still stand by my suggestions that it's probably a watering issue.