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Leylandii and Thuja - difference in colour and texture
plant_and_seed_plan
Posts: 3
in Plants
Hello all
We have a green leylandii hedge which is mostly in good condition, but has a couple of gaps. I would like to plant some new trees to fill in the gaps. Initially I was planning to plant more leylandiis, but as it is a somewhat shady spot, I wondered if thuja might fare better. Would I notice a big difference in colour and texture between the thujas and surrounding leylandiis? Or are they pretty indistinguishable?
Many thanks!
Stephen
We have a green leylandii hedge which is mostly in good condition, but has a couple of gaps. I would like to plant some new trees to fill in the gaps. Initially I was planning to plant more leylandiis, but as it is a somewhat shady spot, I wondered if thuja might fare better. Would I notice a big difference in colour and texture between the thujas and surrounding leylandiis? Or are they pretty indistinguishable?
Many thanks!
Stephen
0
Posts
Good luck!
https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/190606/x-Cuprocyparis-leylandii/Details
Thuja comes in many forms including golden and bronze foliage colours so it will be a lot harder to match for colour. Some are fine in partial shade but they tend to have bronze/gold shaded foliage and/or change tone in winter so would stand out and look odd eg https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/254423/Thuja-plicata-Goldy-4ever-(PBR)/Details
Whichever you decide to plant the soil in the gaps will have been depleted of all nutrients and most of its moisture by the neighbouring leylandii so you'll need to dig a big hole and refresh the soil with improvers such as well-rotted manure, garden compost or commercial soil improvers in order to give the new plants a good start and you'll have to water the well all through their first growing season to make sure they thrive.
I have bought some Leylandiis. I will be sure to look after them well until they are established.
Spores coat everything in green powder. Requires annual trimming, as one cannot cut into previous seasons growth without creating bald patches that simply won't regrow. Roots carpet the top area of soil making life tougher for any digging or anything one might want to do.
Thuja Plicata (Western Red Cedar) on the other hand can be forgotten about, trimmed pretty hard and it'll grow back. Maintains some foliage inside, so isn't just twigs if one cuts a little deeper. No spores everywhere. 1ft - 2ft per year, easily. Hack the top 15ft off, give it a little time and it'll start a new leader and form a cone shape again in a few seasons.
Atrovirens has branches that point 30-45° upward. Gelderland has slightly more horizontal branches and the foliage tends to drape a little. I've not seen a Martin or Excelsa, but the Zebrina is yellow/green variegated.
OK, that all out of the way:
I echo the same thoughts as above. Neither Leylandii or Thuja are going to do great in the shade, but as long as they get some sun, they'll probably be OK, just slower.
As far as colour goes, yeah, stick the to the same unless you want a difference. Thuja does change colour in the winter, taking on a hint of a bronzing, and Spring time new foliage is more vibrant lighter green. The neighbours Leylandii just gets a bit darker green in the Winter.
I see you made your choice. If you make sure to trim every year, and feed well, I'd sure you'll be fine.
Yes, if I were starting from scratch then I wouldn't choose Leylandii! But since there is already a Leylandii hedge there and it mostly looks fine, it would be a shame to get rid of it. It would also be a lot of work!
As it happens, I am getting rid of a golden leylandii hedge on the other side of the garden, as it is half-dead and looks horrid. Ten trees gone, nine to go!