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Pruned leylandii - how high are they likely to grow now?

gillboyes46511718gillboyes46511718 Posts: 3
in Problem solving
Hi,
I'm about to buy a house where the owner has cut the leylandii to half their size. Literally had the tops cut off. I wondered if anyone has any idea about how they might grow now - height and width. The trees are on the farmer's field just beyond the boundary fence so I can't touch them. Just worried about them getting really tall really quickly! Thank you. 

Posts

  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    If they're definitely leylandii, they won't grow upwards from the main trunks - ie  they won't get taller again. 
    They'll get some sideways growth though, from the existing green areas, but they don't come back once cut into brown wood.  :)
    I'm slightly confused by what you've said though. Are the trees the property of the house owner, or the farmer? If they don't belong to the house owner, they can't cut them down without permission, and shouldn't have done so. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • PlantmindedPlantminded Posts: 3,580
    As @Fairygirl says, they won’t grow any taller.  As long as there’s no dispute over the cutting of the trees, it looks like you’re about to own a very nice garden!  From others I have seen, those trees have been topped quite well without exposing large areas of bare trunks.  From below they won’t look too bad.
    Wirral. Sandy, free draining soil.


  • Hostafan1Hostafan1 Posts: 34,889
    I'd have them removed altogether if  possible. 
    They're hideous and won't get any prettier
    Devon.
  • gillboyes46511718gillboyes46511718 Posts: 3
    Thank you so much for the replies! Yes, they do not belong to the owner of the house but he went ahead and cut them. They are having to pay compensation to the farmer, but after that I can buy the house. I know that they'll look a bit shaggy, but as long as we don't end up with 50-100ft trees, that'll be okay. We'll be able to neaten up our side, but we won't be able to cut the tops. The houses is really nice, so we're prepared to put up with them if they're not too tall.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    That's fine then @gillboyes46511718 - just make sure you don't end up with a problem because of the previous owner!
    You'll have to be careful if you want to trim back any growth on the side along the garden boundary though. Only cut back the new growth and don't go beyond that into the old wood, or you'll get the same result - they won't grow back from that and will stay brown.
    Legally, you can also only trim back anything overhanging your property, so that could be tricky. 
    Apart from that, lovely looking property - hope it goes well for you.  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • Busy-LizzieBusy-Lizzie Posts: 24,043
    I'll just add that Leylandii make the soil around quite dry so it will probably need extra watering. That looks quite a lush bed so I imagine the owners watered it. Our neighbour has 4 bordering our garden so I know from experience. I hate them as they are on the wrong side blocking the sun. I wish he would top them or, better, cut them down.

    I had Leylandii at a previous house, years ago. The owner before us topped them and they didn't grow back. They were OK as the garden was big.
    Dordogne and Norfolk. Clay in Dordogne, sandy in Norfolk.
  • bédébédé Posts: 3,095
    edited October 2023
    The upper branches will turn and start to grow upwards.  The new annual growth will be close to replacing the volume of branch-and-leaf just removed.  (can you guess that, or estimate from the diameter of the stubs?)  So, not a permanent cure, just a pause.

    Look around for examples of "trimmed" leylandii.  There are plenty about.
     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."
  • NollieNollie Posts: 7,529
    We had the ridiculously tall ones we inherited severely topped shortly after we bought the house and they do exactly as Bédé describes. They regrow back by about a metre or so annually but they are much much thinner trunks than those beasts. We trim them back every couple of years but clearly that’s not an option for you.

    I suspect the current owner took illegal action because the owner of the field refused to reduce them to sensible proportions. Shame they didn’t go the whole hog and chop them much lower! 

    Doesn’t the high hedges act apply in your new area?
    Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 10,576
    If you go ahead, try to build up a friendly relationship with the farmer - that way they might be more amenable to future work being done on the trees if/when necessary (particularly if you're prepared to pay, or at least contribute).
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
  • gillboyes46511718gillboyes46511718 Posts: 3
    Thank you for all your advice. Lots to think about. 
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