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.
The stems do not need to be branching as long as they are green.You need to be able to leave a short length of green stem behind after trimming. Leylandii can grow 6-8 ft each year which is why councils have stopped using them as boundary planting when building estates. They have caused so many legal fights between themselves and house owners. The trees are fairly shallow rooting and take all of the nutrients and moisture from the soil under their canopy so very little will grow under it happily. If your tree overhangs next doors fence they are entitled to cut it back level with the fence. Legally they are then supposed to return to you all of the trimmings. This would produce a lopsided effect with large brown areas on their side of the tree. Somewhere from the depths of my addled grey brain cells I seem to remember leylandii should be clipped, not pruned, in July/August, after the new growth has stopped growing, using hand shears or a hedge trimmer.
It really depends on how in love with the tree you feel as to what you do with it. Does the tree add to effect you want from your garden? How much effort do you want to put into maintaining the size and shape of the tree? Would you really miss it if it was felled? Do you feel it could be replaced with something more appealing to you? Something more easily maintained perhaps? Was it planted to hide an eye sore or for privacy? Does it provide shade, would you sit under it during the heat waves predicted by global warming? Cutting down any tree is traumatic but sometimes it just has to be done. A conundrum for a new gardener. Part of the fun and dilema of owning your own plot.
No question is silly, it is the way to learn and clarify.Keep asking.
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.
The stems do not need to be branching as long as they are green.You need to be able to leave a short length of green stem behind after trimming. Leylandii can grow 6-8 ft each year which is why councils have stopped using them as boundary planting when building estates. They have caused so many legal fights between themselves and house owners. The trees are fairly shallow rooting and take all of the nutrients and moisture from the soil under their canopy so very little will grow under it happily. If your tree overhangs next doors fence they are entitled to cut it back level with the fence. Legally they are then supposed to return to you all of the trimmings. This would produce a lopsided effect with large brown areas on their side of the tree. Somewhere from the depths of my addled grey brain cells I seem to remember leylandii should be clipped, not pruned, in July/August, after the new growth has stopped growing, using hand shears or a hedge trimmer.
It really depends on how in love with the tree you feel as to what you do with it. Does the tree add to effect you want from your garden? How much effort do you want to put into maintaining the size and shape of the tree? Would you really miss it if it was felled? Do you feel it could be replaced with something more appealing to you? Something more easily maintained perhaps? Was it planted to hide an eye sore or for privacy? Does it provide shade, would you sit under it during the heat waves predicted by global warming? Cutting down any tree is traumatic but sometimes it just has to be done. A conundrum for a new gardener. Part of the fun and dilema of owning your own plot.
No question is silly, it is the way to learn and clarify.Keep asking.
Hi Joyce, for now I'm happy to leave it where it is and maintain it. There are lots of question marks over what plants should be kept/replaced but was just wanted to go through a season and see what there is. I'd only want to pull it out when I knew what was replacing it so we're not left with a bare fence to look at. I have to say that it does not appear to have grown that much in the 6 months we've been in the property. Yes I've read can be trimmed up to 3 times during growing season so think I need to leave it until next year now. Thanks for the advice
The ideal with most conifers is to remove the new growth only. That means you're never cutting back into old wood. There's a few which don't mind and will regrow, but the majority of them won't, and that's when the problems arise. If you're happy with the size it is now, that's all you have to do - cut back the growth from the current year. Shears or a hedgetrimmer, depending on your preference. It's usually quite easy to differentiate between mature growth and the newer stuff. Most of them only need doing once a year too, and late summer/early autumn is the best time, as birds won't be nesting, and growth will have largely finished for the season. If you want to check whether it would regrow from old wood, you can always cut back a little section further than that - maybe round the back of it, where you won't really see it. If no new green growth appears next year, then you'll know that you can't cut back hard, so regular trimming is the method.
Leylandiis are quite difficult because they grow more rapidly than many others, and it's then harder to keep them in check. They need proper maintenance right from the start to keep them right
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Thank you fairygirl. I'll need to go out and have a closer look at it. My temptation is to try to trim it this year but obviously it is a little later in the season than I'd like. Otherwise there will be additional growth early next year to contend with too
I wouldn't worry too much about giving it a light haircut just now. The only time to avoid doing any serious trimming would be if there's a lot of prolonged frost and/or ice in the immediate forecast. Even then, most conifers will shrug it off. You're unlikely to get new growth before about April though, so it would still be easy enough if you wanted to wait until around then, weather permitting. I trimmed a couple of shrubs last week, and we've just had three consecutive days of frosts/ice, turning back to rain later yesterday afternoon. They're fine. Anything less hardy might struggle but not the tough shrubs I was doing
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Just to round off this post, here is the result of my pruning. Hopefully a nice trim haircut. Glad I enquired on how much to cut as it's quite obvious to see where there is green growth and not so just made sure I didn't go to far back. Thanks to the advice from everyone here.
That is great and still gives any birds insects etc a snuggish place to roost or hide.
It is nice you are thinking about what you have and no rush to rip out or replace.
We just had ours removed so some yew can grow in their place. I still feel guilty as Mr Blackbird and a couple of others like to hang out and shelter in them. But it had to be done.
There are lots of question marks over what plants should be kept/replaced but was just wanted to go through a season and see what there is. I'd only want to pull it out when I knew what was replacing it so we're not left with a bare fence to look at.
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If you're happy with the size it is now, that's all you have to do - cut back the growth from the current year. Shears or a hedgetrimmer, depending on your preference. It's usually quite easy to differentiate between mature growth and the newer stuff.
Most of them only need doing once a year too, and late summer/early autumn is the best time, as birds won't be nesting, and growth will have largely finished for the season.
If you want to check whether it would regrow from old wood, you can always cut back a little section further than that - maybe round the back of it, where you won't really see it. If no new green growth appears next year, then you'll know that you can't cut back hard, so regular trimming is the method.
Leylandiis are quite difficult because they grow more rapidly than many others, and it's then harder to keep them in check. They need proper maintenance right from the start to keep them right
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I trimmed a couple of shrubs last week, and we've just had three consecutive days of frosts/ice, turning back to rain later yesterday afternoon. They're fine. Anything less hardy might struggle but not the tough shrubs I was doing
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Just to round off this post, here is the result of my pruning. Hopefully a nice trim haircut. Glad I enquired on how much to cut as it's quite obvious to see where there is green growth and not so just made sure I didn't go to far back. Thanks to the advice from everyone here.
It is nice you are thinking about what you have and no rush to rip out or replace.
We just had ours removed so some yew can grow in their place. I still feel guilty as Mr Blackbird and a couple of others like to hang out and shelter in them. But it had to be done.