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Replacing leylandii section by section

Aileen14Aileen14 Posts: 1
in Problem solving
Has anyone tried to replace a leylandii hedge bit by bit successfully? We have one running down the side of our garden, with a small road / footpath on the other side which is used regularly so we're not keen on chopping it down all at once and being open to the prying eyes! I want to get some native hedging in, as we're lucky enough to have wildlife including hedgehogs visit. Can I plant a few specimens at a time by chopping say one or two leylandii back to the bone or down? Would new plants grow well? We have some holly and elder growing here and there already. 

Posts

  • StephenSouthwestStephenSouthwest Posts: 635
    It's possible I would say, and I've thought of it and decided against it myself - quite a lot of extra work than removing and replacing in one go, and you'd get to the result you want quicker by biting the bullet this winter.
    Something I have done is to remove the leylandii, improve the soil (loads of garden compost, manure, and whatever other organic material I could get hold of), plant the new mixed hedge, but also planting some fast growing screening annuals - climbing nasturtians, runner beans, Jerusalem artichokes, for example, or/and put some temporary screens made of bamboo or hurdles, for example.
    I also put the leylandii back in as posts, to give some structure for strings or rails for temporary climbers or screening, and to help with screening.
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