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Leylandii pruning advice

Matty_PMatty_P Posts: 64
in Plants
Hi all,

It's our first year in our house and realise now we have a leylandii hedge/tree (see attached). I missed the boat pruning it this year and from what I've read should wait until April at least. I'm a little confused on how to prune it though. New growth will not occur on old leafless wood but then it says height can be reduced by 1/3. If it's an established tree, it would seem it's not possible to cut much back unless you want brown patches?

I've written in red how it's maybe like to reduce it, maybe knock some off the height too.

Best tool for this?

Thanks for the help

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Posts

  • Joyce GoldenlilyJoyce Goldenlily Posts: 2,933
    If leylandii are clipped regularly it is possible to keep them under control. The only way to find out if your tree can be reduced to what you want is to part the outer foliage, look at how far back you want to cut it and see if the growth at the cutting point is green. If it is, you should be OK. However, if the stems look brown or sparse it will not regrow from that point and you will have brown areas.
  • GardenerSuzeGardenerSuze Posts: 5,692
    @Matty_P Before you go ahead could you post a close up of the leaves just to confirm it is Leylandii. Do you have a large garden, if not in my opinion you might want to get rid of it before it becomes expensive to maintain.
    You are right if you cut into old wood on Leylandii it won't regrow. What you want to do looks fine but you will also encourage it to grow.
    I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
  • Matty_PMatty_P Posts: 64
    Joyce Goldenlily said:
    If leylandii are clipped regularly it is possible to keep them under control. The only way to find out if your tree can be reduced to what you want is to part the outer foliage, look at how far back you want to cut it and see if the growth at the cutting point is green. If it is, you should be OK. However, if the stems look brown or sparse it will not regrow from that point and you will have brown areas.
    Hi Joyce, thanks for the comment. Sorry if this is a silly question, I'm new to gardening. When you say, see if the growth at the cutting point is green, do you mean is there foliage branching off at the cutting point or is the branch itself green when cut into? : / I assume the former.


  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    Yes … the former 👍 

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





  • Matty_PMatty_P Posts: 64
    GardenerSuze said:
    @Matty_P Before you go ahead could you post a close up of the leaves just to confirm it is Leylandii. Do you have a large garden, if not in my opinion you might want to get rid of it before it becomes expensive to maintain.
    You are right if you cut into old wood on Leylandii it won't regrow. What you want to do looks fine but you will also encourage it to grow.
    Thanks for the comment. It's not a particularly big garden. I'm not thrilled by the Leylandii or conifers I have to say but I'm not yet sure what I would replace it with and feel bad pulling established plants out. If I can manage it and keep it roughly the height it is just now (around 3m) that is good enough for me for now. Is that possible? I found a garden centre label buried In the ground close to it and thought it fit the bill as there is nothing else around like it, but not guaranteed of course.
  • Matty_PMatty_P Posts: 64
    Oh and what should I prune it with I only really have secateurs right now and either they will work and be slow or they won't work and I need something else like loppers?
  • PlantmindedPlantminded Posts: 3,580
    To cut the outer green growth which should be soft, use a pair of hedging shears or see if you can borrow a powered hedge trimmer.  I have two different conifers which I inherited in my front garden and have learned to trim them quite carefully, avoiding any woody growth as this will reveal brown patches which don’t recover. Take your time and stand back often to see how you are progressing, aiming for an evenly balanced shape.
    Wirral. Sandy, free draining soil.


  • Matty_PMatty_P Posts: 64
    Plantminded said:
    To cut the outer green growth which should be soft, use a pair of hedging shears or see if you can borrow a powered hedge trimmer.  I have two different conifers which I inherited in my front garden and have learned to trim them quite carefully, avoiding any woody growth as this will reveal brown patches which don’t recover. Take your time and stand back often to see how you are progressing, aiming for an evenly balanced shape.
    I see so you're cutting from the outside inwards as a hedge trimmer would. Not locating green growth closer to the trunk and cutting off branch by branch at that point? I.e. from the inside out.
  • PlantmindedPlantminded Posts: 3,580
    edited November 2023
    Yes, cut from the outside and inwards, green growth only, taking care not to cut as far back as bare brown branches.
    Wirral. Sandy, free draining soil.


  • GardenerSuzeGardenerSuze Posts: 5,692
    @Matty_P You have an ID of Leylandii and I am sure you are right. If it were me I would just check on line for Thuja before you start. I cannot tell from the photo.
    I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
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