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Hedge replacement and logistics

Karenchilton2000Karenchilton2000 Posts: 23
in Problem solving
Hello. 
I wonder if anyone could advise please.  

I have a leylandii hedge which is starting to brown and is mostly dead on one side.  Is like to replace it and am thinking is cherry laurel. Without the screen the house has a clear view into our house. So I though cherry laurel works work as it is fast growing. 

The leylandii are infront of a fence. And in front of the leylandii are some nice mature shrubs.

I have a couple of questions please.

A) if I were to remove the leylandii now, is there enough time to remove the roots safely and plant the laurel in the autumn? I don't want to damage nearby plants so any experience anyone has had of how to remove roots is appreciated. 

B) can cherry laurel be pruned so that it isn't too deep? I need the height to be about 3-4 metres but only a couple of feet in depth. The leylandii only have about 2 feet of depth to them,  which allows me to get behind them, between them and the fence of the house they border,  to trim them. If they grow forward into my garden,  I would have to remove all the bedding plants  
Any pointers really appreciated.

Kind regards

K

Posts

  • PerkiPerki Posts: 2,527
    Sound more like a winter job to me but leylandi aren't difficult to get out a mattock is the ideal weapon to use, depends how close the other shrubs are to the current leylandii ? and what are they.  Keeping cherry laurels 3-4 metres by 2-3ft depth is a no go they just to big and broad they not trim up well,  I wouldn't use laurel anyway for a hedge unless it a good distance away . 

    I'd be looking at beech - hornbeam - thuja plicata  - Yew - griselinia - Eleagnus - holly or even Bamboo all these do depend on what conditions they be grown in and the soil will need nourishing with manure etc   
  • Karenchilton2000Karenchilton2000 Posts: 23
    edited May 2023
    Thank you! I've not heard of thuja plicata as a hedge before.  It looks quite pretty.  I'll probably remove the leylandii now but plant in the autumn..
  • bertrand-mabelbertrand-mabel Posts: 2,697
    Interesting as this came up on Radio 4 Gardeners Question Time today and the consensus was not to plant laurel especially not Portugese laurel. As @Perki has said it can take up a lot of space and you then spend a lot of time cutting it back. We have hornbeam and beech hedges and whilst they aren't as high as you want they can be.
  • Karenchilton2000Karenchilton2000 Posts: 23
    Thank you! I've been looking at the options a little more.  And am coming to that conclusion. Really appreciated @bertrand-mabel. So your hedges have much depth to them? I'm hoping for a very dense, but reasonably shallow profile.  I'm drawn to the fact that hornbeam seems to be very wildlife friendly. 


  • bertrand-mabelbertrand-mabel Posts: 2,697
    The hornbeam is about 18inches wide and the beech is about 20inches wide. They are cut back at regular times to give density.
  • bédébédé Posts: 3,095
    edited May 2023
    My leyladii hedge was as good as yew for 30 years. Kept at 7 feet and narrow. A darkish passage shaded bt ywo houses; it has now started to lose lower leaves and go brown in patches.  

    Rubbish builder's soil.  I have interplanted tiny yew trees to gradually replace the leylandii.   A couple of the lleylandii have already died and have been easily wriggled out.

    For a narrow hedge that can be kept narrow:  beech or yew.
     location: Surrey Hills, England, ex-woodland acidic sand.
    "Have nothing in your garden that you don't know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."
  • Karenchilton2000Karenchilton2000 Posts: 23
    Thank you! Does Yew grow very fast?
  • bédébédé Posts: 3,095
    edited May 2023
    Yew is low to start, then fast.  Beech is faster.

    I'm filling in the empty base first, and then gradually taking the leylandii up.
     location: Surrey Hills, England, ex-woodland acidic sand.
    "Have nothing in your garden that you don't know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."
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