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instant impact trees

jack28288282z3C6ePI-jack28288282z3C6ePI- Posts: 1
in Problem solving
hi...there is a large housing development about to start at the end of the garden and we are looking at planting some trees for some privacy, we currently have a 6ft high Leylandii hedge but need to add some extra height along this. The trees ideally would be 10/14ft in height and evergreen. Any ideas would be gratefully received.

Posts

  • rachelQrtJHBjbrachelQrtJHBjb Posts: 819
    IMO you will need to plant the trees a good distance from the leylandii hedge due to root competition - leylandii suck up so much moisture it makes it hard to establish plants in close proximity and you will have an uphill struggle if you are putting in decent sized trees. It won't work if you plan to incorporate them into the existing hedge or want to put them very close.

    There are a number of tree companies I would recommend based on personal experience: Majestic Trees, who grow their trees in airpots, which prevents the roots from spiralling and encourages outward growth once in the ground, and Barcham Trees from whom I've bought trees up to 100 litres. Both have websites were you should be able to filter by deciduous or evergreen. 

  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Do you have the skill to establish, and maintain, them? Is the garden big enough to cope with trees that size?

    It's regular query on the forum, and there are alternatives. Here's just one of the many threads on the subject  :)
    https://forum.gardenersworld.com/discussion/1048088/advice-on-planting-a-magnolia-or-something-else-for-screening/p1

    You can also use the search facility at the top of the page to find others  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • Joyce GoldenlilyJoyce Goldenlily Posts: 2,933
    Leylandii grow approx. 6ft per year so if left to their own devices will soon reach the height you want. Councils have been stopped from using them as a hedging trees because they grow so quickly and cause so many problems between neighbours whose property is on the shady side of them and want them cut down. They impoverish the soil as already stated and nothing will grow within several feet of them.
    Loss of privacy in our gardens is not something we can appeal for, with all of the development and infill building that is going on, more and more people are being exposed to being overlooked.
    Wooden fencing where planks are atached to posts on alternate sides, and arranged in diagonal or horizontal designs looks attactive and works well. It is almost impossible to see through them and plants can be grown against the.
  • BenDoverBenDover Posts: 488
    I'd personally grub up the Leylandii and plant up a mixed border made up of a combination of evergreen and deciduous trees and large shrubs.  Its all very well saying it was already there if somebody complained when they moved in, but there are rules over hedge heights and you're likely to get into a lot of arguments with your new neighbours if they don't like it getting too tall.  A hedge is basically two more more plants of the same type planted in a row.  If you have a mixed border of different trees and shrubs than its technically not considered a hedge, so the same rules don't apply, and you can get away with growing it as tall as you like.  And a mixed border of trees and shrubs is likely to be a lot more interesting to look at and be more beneficial to wildlife than a monoculture of Leylandii.  Don't be worried about it not being evergreen.  Most people are rarely sitting or spend along time in their gardens in the late autumn, winter, and early spring to be spied upon by neighbours, so unless you wander around your house with the curtains open, the lights on and wearing no clothes, I wouldn't be that concerned.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    The biggest problem with letting them grow is that it can cause major problems with neighbours, even if they're already there [assuming there are going to be neighbours directly affected] because hedges have regs re the height, and that's a whole new problem waiting down the line. 
    If councils get involved at that point, it's hellish.
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • edhelkaedhelka Posts: 2,351
    @pansyface From this, it looks like the best option is alternating deciduous and evergreen trees/shrubs.
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