Forum home› Problem solving
This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.

Ways to fill a large gap left in the middle of a row of conifer trees?

rinimuksz1HWKtcarinimuksz1HWKtca Posts: 9
edited July 2021 in Problem solving
Hello all,

We used to have a row of 4 established and tall conifer leylandii trees.
Last year, we had one of these trees in the middle of this row, illegally felled by a neighbour without any notice. 
This has left a large gap in the line of our conifers, consequently we can see into our neighbours’ garden and the privacy screen has been compromised.

Planting a tall tree here I know is unfeasible since it will be too unstable even with stakes. We have planted a small but slow-growing Cypress tree in place of the felled tree (we liked it due to its bushy foliage which has helped fill the gap at fence level atleast), but this being a new young tree it has naturally done little to resolve the large gap above it.
I am seeking suggestions on how to fill this gap?

I am wondering if there is a way to encourage sideways growth from the existing conifer trees which remain on either side of the gap, to fill the gap?

Thanks so much for the advice.

«13

Posts

  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Highly unlikely I'm afraid. Those are very woody, established conifers, at an enormous size for a garden hedge, and any branches will be quite difficult to bend and tie together easily. Even then, it will take a long time for them to do much.
    The new conifer you've planted will also take time to establish and grow significantly, even with plenty of watering etc. The ground will be fairly inhospitable for it. If you added lots of organic matter before planting, that will have helped. You can still do that on a regular basis to help improve the soil condition.
    The only other thing I'd add is - if your neighbour cut down one, he/she may do it again. There are laws re the height of hedging, which is what that is -not a row of trees,  and they may have felt they were becoming a problem.
    That doesn't justify their actions, but they may take steps to force the rest to be cut down, by contacting the council. Maximum height for a hedge is around 2 metres in the UK. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • rinimuksz1HWKtcarinimuksz1HWKtca Posts: 9
    Thank you for your response. In terms of helping the new tree grow quickly, does MiracleGro work well for these things do you know?
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    No.  :)
    Shrubs and trees just need decent soil and water. They really don't need extra food.
    A general fertiliser on planting is enough - something like Blood, Fish and Bone, which is just a slow release food suitable for shrubs, trees and general planting. 
    After they're established, which takes up to a year, they can fend for themselves as long as they have adequate moisture, and enough heart in the soil - hence the addition of organic matter. A mulch of bark, leaf mould, compost or similar, after thorough watering, helps retain moisture too, and that's especially useful in the location it's in, and at this time of year. You can do that after winter too, to help retain enough moisture for the spring and into summer   :)  
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • rinimuksz1HWKtcarinimuksz1HWKtca Posts: 9
    Thanks very much, this is all very helpful!
    Also, an option we are contemplating is perhaps buying a taller tree to plant there; the one we did plant has only been there a month so perhaps open to being moved. 
    Would you know how tall we can feasibly plant a new tree, with stakes, in order for it not to fall over? 
  • BenCottoBenCotto Posts: 4,718
    edited July 2021
    It’s not so much staking that will give a newly planted tree stability more a need for it to set down well established roots. This, as Fairygirl says, demands the addition of copious amounts of organic matter to the planting hole. For a large new tree that hole will have to be correspondingly big and the incursion of roots from neighbouring trees will make digging it very problematic. Should you elect to plant a new tree you will have to be very assiduous with the watering; it will require copious amounts two or three times a week for a full year. 

     My concern is the bigger picture. From the photo you have uploaded it is hard to see how your trees are giving the privacy you want. The branches are only melding together at about 30’ so, unless there is a block of flats on the other side, or your neighbours are international standard trampolinists, or you’re troubled by drones, I find it hard to see what you are being shielded from. 

    There is a gap to the right of the central conifer as well as to the left, the one you want filling. I do think you need to proceed with caution. If you rile the neighbours they can apply to the council to have your hedge trimmed down to two metres, the height of your fence. In most cases that provides an adequate level of privacy if the gardens are on about the same level. 

    If these neighbours cut down your tree, and that was a very antagonistic, illegal act on their part, I suspect they are harbouring simmering discontentment about your trees blocking light from their garden, sucking nutrients and moisture from their soil, and creating a monotonous enclosing screen to their plot. If it was me I would look for an alternative solution and that would be a shorter, and much more interesting, shrub planted some way forward from the conifer hedge.
    Rutland, England
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    I agree with all of @BenCotto's info and comments in the above post.
    Unless you have the skill, planting larger tree specimens is extremely risky, and it can be a costly mistake. They are very, very difficult to establish well, even with optimum conditions, never mind in among those trees which are soaking up every drop of moisture available for a large distance around them. 
    If that conifer has only been there a month - the same applies. It will need regular bucket loads of water for the next few months. Even into winter, unless you live in a very wet part of the country.
    They [conifers] can look fine for long periods even if they're actually in decline, which can mean they often get left alone, but if they aren't getting the right ongoing care [especially a newly planted one]  they can just die and it seems to have been sudden. There was another thread yesterday about a conifer, and despite the OP claiming it had all been fine until recently, that's exactly what has happened. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 10,576
    I agree with the others, those huge leylandii will be sucking up every bit of moisture and food from the soil, as well as casting shade. It would be extremely hard to get any new plant to establish near their root zone, and that applies to the neighbouring garden on the other side of the fence too - roots don't respect boundaries.
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
  • amancalledgeorgeamancalledgeorge Posts: 2,736
    You can really imagine the shadow they cast on the neighbouring plot...you may be annoyed they cut down one, but that's a really unneighbourly hedge. Would be great to hear why you think having that height is beneficial for "privacy". Our garden is in the middle of the overall plot and having just trees and no monster hedges allows for borrowing of the landscape of two-three gardens down, giving a sense of space. Never understood why anyone would want to be enclosed by oppressive conifers. Once in a while I see a neighbour out enjoying their garden, say hi..what's the big deal? 
    To Plant a Garden is to Believe in Tomorrow
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    The fence looks a good height ... well above general eye level ... are the neighbours giants or circus stilt-walkers ... ... those trees aren't providing privacy ... they're just casting shadows and sucking moisture and nutrients out of both gardens. 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • rinimuksz1HWKtcarinimuksz1HWKtca Posts: 9
    Hello all,

    Thank you for all your posts so far.

    To provide some background, we have been living at the property since 1998, the trees were there before we moved in.

    3 years ago we had checked with the council about the height of our trees, when our new neighbours told us that the tall trees are compromising on sunlight in their garden.

    The council said our trees are legally fine and that we have every right to keep them tall. Also it is not a hedge, it is a row of established conifer trees.

    It is useful to know from the wisdom and experience of posters here that planting a mature tree would be difficult here. Yes the tree we newly planted (Cupressus Cyparis) has been there a month, we have been giving it lots of water regularly and also put fertiliser. We would just like to do what we can to help it grow quickly.
    Is the common verdict here then that Miracle-Gro will not do much to aid its growth? 

    Thanks again for your insights!
Sign In or Register to comment.