That doesn't look as bad as some that I have seen but I can understand why you want to replace it. Are you planning to get a contractor to remove the Leylandii or tackle it yourself? Removing the roots will be important, as well as invigorating your soil before replanting. Any of the evergreens mentioned above would suit that site. I'd recommend visiting a garden centre, nursery or other supplier to see the plants for yourself and to make a personal judgement. Planting any new hedge will be better in autumn or spring but you could make preparations now, when it cools down a bit!
I don't know whether this helps but here's one of my Griselinia hedges with my neighbour's laurel hedge behind. My hedge is about 6 feet high, my neighbour's hedge is over 9 feet high - I don't mind I can't see his house!
Thanks for this. Yes, i think if it was about 2ft narrower and didn't need cutting 3 times a year i'd be more ok with it staying
Ours provides the screening for both properties so whatever i do i have to make sure they're not too put out by it. I'll take the trees down but we'll definitely bring in contractors to grind out the stumps before working on the soil
Would it be possible for you and your neighbour to agree to install a tall fence - say 2.5 -3m? You’d usually need planning permission for anything over 2m but it might give you the privacy you need while growing a new hedge or putting in new planting. Paint it black or dark grey and you’ll hardly notice it.
I planted a row of young Thuja plicata last year after taking down a section of badly maintained leylandii (not as big as yours.) I know it’ll be a few more years until it’s anywhere as tall as I need it to be but it’s the only way I’ll get privacy back in my main seating area. In the meantime, I can only grin and bear it…🌳
The photos are really helpful, I can see you already have a fence behind so that does give you some screening in the meantime. It will be a huge shock when you take the trees down initially and you will feel really exposed. However, I would be inclined to do that and then sit back and spend a little time thinking about if you really need a full, high hedge and all the maintenance that entails, or whether some strategically placed trees and shrubs would be enough to screen out overlooking/offending windows etc. Then you could incorporate those into an attractive mixed border as you have attempted to do under the leylandii. Its really good of you to consider the neighbours and it’s worth chatting to them and getting their views, they may actually hate the oppressive screening and be glad to get rid!
Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
I put in some vigorous nastertians to help screen during the time between the leyllandii coming out and the new hedge getting established, which helped soften the transition process...
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Ours provides the screening for both properties so whatever i do i have to make sure they're not too put out by it. I'll take the trees down but we'll definitely bring in contractors to grind out the stumps before working on the soil