Its great at what it does, if maintained well then it wont be a problem. If you have patience then Yew does it for me every time, a much more attractive hedge, good for wildlife, can be trimmed and shaped very well, but its undoubtedly a lot less instant than lleylandi
Thank you so much once again, this has all reassured me and I think I’ll be going with Lelandii. I’m not scared of a bit of maintence and I feel it’s the most suitable for me.
The only other option would have been Yew, but I can’t find them anywhere at a reasonable price/starting size.
If you want a "leylandii looking" hedge, you could consider thuja plicata instead.
Yes, a better idea as Thuja plicata (aka Western Red Cedar, even though it's a cypress not a cedar!) will come from old wood.
If you're not wedded to the idea of a conifer, then laurel makes a good hedge, with the added benefit that it can be cut back very hard and will still regrow. I planted some and it grew at about the same rate as an existing Leylandii hedge (which I eventually replaced with more laurel) once it was established.
Pittosporum can also be used, and it's much nicer to look at than conifers, at least to my eye.
I've looked after several hundred gardens in the past 10 years. Leylandii is NOT a bad plant. It is genuinely as easy to look after as other hedges and no more work. It doesn't render the ground infertile and you can grow bulbs and some other plants directly at it's feet on the shaded side and all sorts on the sunny side. Just 2-3ft away you can treat the ground as normal and plant most suitable things.
Those photos above are the result of neglect, possibly in rented gardens.
When you do an annual trim on leylandii you'll have a nice green hedge year round that birds also love to nest in. It's only brown if you trim severely into it to reduce height.
I wouldn't have Leylandii because I'm not a fan of very formal but my parents planted one donkeys years ago and it was carefully trimmed and looked after until it got to about 8ft. It's still at 8ft and my 82 year old mum cuts it's whiskers off twice a year and it looks as if it has been trimmed by laser. (Her kindly neighbour does the top bit as she's 5ft nothing!). It's all in the maintenance.
Whichever hedge plant you choose - and I agree that Leylandii can be a really good hedge, and provide shelter for birds, if properly maintained - it is important to trim it properly and at the right time of year.
Thank you Plant Pauper - I’m prepared to maintain so that’s great to hear.
Apologies all but now I’ve decided to stick with Leylandii, could I point back to a couple of questions again please?
How far in from the pavement will I need to plant?
How much 'footprint' will each plant take up when grown to about 200cm? I.e. what gap do I need in between each plant?
Once I’m confident with how many I need and the distance I need to plant in from the pavement and between each of them, I’ll leave you all alone I promise!
Thank you Plant Pauper - I’m prepared to maintain so that’s great to hear.
Apologies all but now I’ve decided to stick with Leylandii, could I point back to a couple of questions again please?
How far in from the pavement will I need to plant?
How much 'footprint' will each plant take up when grown to about 200cm? I.e. what gap do I need in between each plant?
Once I’m confident with how many I need and the distance I need to plant in from the pavement and between each of them, I’ll leave you all alone I promise!
Posts
The only other option would have been Yew, but I can’t find them anywhere at a reasonable price/starting size.
Thanks again all!
If you're not wedded to the idea of a conifer, then laurel makes a good hedge, with the added benefit that it can be cut back very hard and will still regrow. I planted some and it grew at about the same rate as an existing Leylandii hedge (which I eventually replaced with more laurel) once it was established.
Pittosporum can also be used, and it's much nicer to look at than conifers, at least to my eye.
Those photos above are the result of neglect, possibly in rented gardens.
When you do an annual trim on leylandii you'll have a nice green hedge year round that birds also love to nest in. It's only brown if you trim severely into it to reduce height.
http://www.hedgingplantsdirect.co.uk/hedging-plants
It's all in the maintenance.
be a really good hedge, and provide shelter for birds, if properly maintained - it is important to trim it properly and at the right time of year.
It's also important to cut it to a slight 'A' shape ... called 'to a batter' ... all explained here https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=353
This will avoid the bottom of the hedge getting 'bare legs' .... not an attractive look for a hedge.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Apologies all but now I’ve decided to stick with Leylandii, could I point back to a couple of questions again please?
How much 'footprint' will each plant take up when grown to about 200cm? I.e. what gap do I need in between each plant?
Once I’m confident with how many I need and the distance I need to plant in from the pavement and between each of them, I’ll leave you all alone I promise!