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newly planted leylandii when to trim the top

sales07731sales07731 Posts: 5
in Problem solving
Hello.
What a great forum for information 👍

We have just planted a new leylandii hedge to be a sound barrier and privacy screen from a busy main road.

They are about 6 ft ATM and we are wondering when do we trim the top?

 Do we wait until they reach the height we want roughly 4 metres or do we trim them now to encourage growth.

Also the sides when do we start trimming them ? 

Sorry about the bad photo

Also forgot one question.. we are about to cover the area with mulch..... Do we need to get mulch or is woodchip the same ?

Thank you


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Posts

  • GardenerSuzeGardenerSuze Posts: 5,692
    My main concern would be the wall long term.
    I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Hi @sales07731 - ideally you'd check with the authorities as to the height allowed for your hedge, as the usual permitted max. height is around 2 metres. It can cause trouble if the height affects other people. However, due to your site, it looks unlikely that anyone but yourselves would be affected, so you could be fine having it a bit bigger. 
    The problem with leylandii is that it gets huge in every direction if not kept trimmed from early on, and that affects any otherplanting you may want nearby. In your site, it doesn't seem to be a massive issue in that sense, unless that''s also going right around the rear of the property, which looks like the case, so bear that in mind. 
    If you keep it trimmed in all directions from around next year, that will keep it green. It'll take until around then to properly establish and start growing. By then it will have put on a little bit of height and width, and you can then decide on it's appearance. If you leave it to grow, and it gets much bigger than the desired height, it won't regrow from old wood if you then cut it back. Make sure it's kept well watered right through this season, unless you're in a really wet area, with consistent rainfall, but even then - keep an eye on it. The ground looks very dry, but it might be the photo. 

    Mulch is simply anything you add on top of the soil, usually to retian moisture, but also to help control weeds which are competition for any new plant, so your wood chip will be fine, but make sure the ground is well dampened before doing it. Bark is the best mulch for things like conifers.  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • floraliesfloralies Posts: 2,718
    Where does your boundary end, is it the fence or beyond that and towards the road? Perhaps you should check with the local authorities/highways for height.
  • Joyce GoldenlilyJoyce Goldenlily Posts: 2,933
    Bear in mind you will not be able to grow anything well within at least 6ft all the way around the leylandii. They take all of the moisture and nutrients from the soil. They are the thugs of the tree world. They grow huge very quickly, and they have caused local councils massive problems with arguments between neighbours. Leylandii need a trim twice a year to keep their size under control but it doesn't help with their root spread. 
  • sales07731sales07731 Posts: 5
    edited 9 March
    Wow thanks for the quick replies.

    GardenerSuze said:
    My main concern would be the wall long term.

    Hedge is replacing a much taller hedge and the wall has held up so far.. planning permission on the wall required it to be extra thick as it's a retaining wall so hopefully it will be okay leylandii are 1 metre from the wall hopefully giving us a little access behide 

    floralies said:
    Where does your boundary end, is it the fence or beyond that and towards the road? Perhaps you should check with the local authorities/highways for height.

    Our boundary is the road (where the electric pole is). I'm not worrying about height as it's replacing a 5+ metre hedge..
    My question is more do I trim the top as well as the sides before it gets to desired height as I have read all about not touching the main trunk as it won't grow back.

    Joyce Goldenlily said:
    Bear in mind you will not be able to grow anything well within at least 6ft all the way around the leylandii. They take all of the moisture and nutrients from the soil. They are the thugs of the tree world. They grow huge very quickly, and they have caused local councils massive problems with arguments between neighbours. Leylandii need a trim twice a year to keep their size under control but it doesn't help with their root spread. 

    Sounds perfect for what we need. They are 5-6 metres from a main road (60mph)  it will be only grass anywhere close to it.

    We also have to cut and maintain other road side hedges that we own once a year anyway.

    Here is an aerial photo to show the area abit more


  • sales07731sales07731 Posts: 5
    edited 9 March
    Fairygirl said:
    Hi @sales07731 - ideally you'd check with the authorities as to the height allowed for your hedge, as the usual permitted max. height is around 2 metres. It can cause trouble if the height affects other people. However, due to your site, it looks unlikely that anyone but yourselves would be affected, so you could be fine having it a bit bigger. 
    The problem with leylandii is that it gets huge in every direction if not kept trimmed from early on, and that affects any otherplanting you may want nearby. In your site, it doesn't seem to be a massive issue in that sense, unless that''s also going right around the rear of the property, which looks like the case, so bear that in mind. 
    If you keep it trimmed in all directions from around next year, that will keep it green. It'll take until around then to properly establish and start growing. By then it will have put on a little bit of height and width, and you can then decide on it's appearance. If you leave it to grow, and it gets much bigger than the desired height, it won't regrow from old wood if you then cut it back. Make sure it's kept well watered right through this season, unless you're in a really wet area, with consistent rainfall, but even then - keep an eye on it. The ground looks very dry, but it might be the photo. 

    Mulch is simply anything you add on top of the soil, usually to retian moisture, but also to help control weeds which are competition for any new plant, so your wood chip will be fine, but make sure the ground is well dampened before doing it. Bark is the best mulch for things like conifers.  :)
    Wow.

    Thank you for such an in-depth reply.

    I've got access to wood chips so I'll get the area well water composted and then covered. May put the soaker hose under the bark 


    Can I just double check about the trimming

    My fear is as they are only 2 metres if I cut the top now before it's 4 metres the main 'trunk' won't make it to 4 metres.

    I just read so much online about not cutting back the main branches as they won't grow again.

    Behide the house are laurels. Here is an aerial photo that may help. Red line is new leylandii


  • RubytooRubytoo Posts: 1,630
    edited 9 March
    sales07731 said:
    Can I just double check about the trimming

    My fear is as they are only 2 metres if I cut the top now before it's 4 metres the main 'trunk' won't make it to 4 metres.



    Leave the tops until they are about 20 cms ( um 6 to 8 inches old money?)higher than you want the hedge to be. Then cut them.

    I guess a metre is okay for the gap between hedge and wall for cutting /maintenance
    And you have planted them now so moving them a little more out as you have the space would be a pain.

    It will probably be okay especially if you are keeping on top of them.
    But a little more "wiggle" room might have been good.
    Also if they did get a little bare at the base on the side nearest the wall it would not matter as the bulk of it would be above and on the other side.

    (We used to have a hedge like yours planted by previous owners.
    After looking after them for many years I would have planted them further away from the wall than ours were :D  )


  • sales07731sales07731 Posts: 5
    Rubytoo said

    Leave the tops until they are about 20 cms ( um 6 to 8 inches old money?)higher than you want the hedge to be. Then cut them.

    I guess a metre is okay for the gap between hedge and wall for cutting /maintenance
    And you have planted them now so moving them a little more out as you have the space would be a pain.

    It will probably be okay especially if you are keeping on top of them.
    But a little more "wiggle" room might have been good.
    Also if they did get a little bare at the base on the side nearest the wall it would not matter as the bulk of it would be above and on the other side.

    (We used to have a hedge like yours planted by previous owners.
    After looking after them for many years I would have planted them further away from the wall than ours were :D  )


    Thank you for the reply.

    Yeah there is plenty of space but Due to the road junction I tried to keep them as close to the wall as I could as I don't want to block any view of that junction for people pulling out. Like you said as it's for privacy the bit between the wall isn't a major worry.

    After some more googling I saw this photo.



    I'm not an expert at hedges at all.. not even an amateur.. but if I cut mine at wall height. Would that make everything above the wall sprout more upwards stems like the photo and be fuller above the wall.

    Or like I said before would it best for the main stem to go all the way to desired height.(20cm like you said)

    Sorry about all the questions I'm just trying to get this right at an early stage
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    It's absolutely fine to ask @sales07731 - it's easy to have expensive mistakes if you don't! I can see your sit ebetter now with the aerial pic. I wasn't sure how the house was placed on the site.  :)
    If you only cut the leaders - ie the main trunk, the side branches will continue to grow upwards, and can overtake those cut tops. However, it doesn't always work terribly well, as you have to be careful when doing it, which is why you generally trim all over when it's around 3 to 6 inches more than the dimensions you want - ie you trim back just the new growth for that year. This is also when the height can become problematic in more built up areas, as neighbours can get very worried when they're neglected and suddenly they've become massive.
    The ones in those last pix are an example of what happens when they're allowed to get huge. That's why it's often easier to wait until they're at the desired height, but this is also where difficulties can materialise if anyone complains. 
    Don't worry about the wall. It just won't grow much at that side. Your maintenance would be done from the road side, or even from inside your wall, and will be fairly simple.

    People often worry about being able to plant near them, but that also depends on where you live. It isn't difficult here where I am, but that's because it's reliably wet enough. We should have asked you roughly where you're located, because that's an important factor. 
    They're shallow rooting, so they suck up moisture and that can badly affect other plants, but if they have decent, moisture retentive soil, and regualr moisture, it's much easier.  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • sales07731sales07731 Posts: 5
    Fairygirl said:
    It's absolutely fine to ask @sales07731 - it's easy to have expensive mistakes if you don't! I can see your sit ebetter now with the aerial pic. I wasn't sure how the house was placed on the site.  :)
    If you only cut the leaders - ie the main trunk, the side branches will continue to grow upwards, and can overtake those cut tops. However, it doesn't always work terribly well, as you have to be careful when doing it, which is why you generally trim all over when it's around 3 to 6 inches more than the dimensions you want - ie you trim back just the new growth for that year. This is also when the height can become problematic in more built up areas, as neighbours can get very worried when they're neglected and suddenly they've become massive.
    The ones in those last pix are an example of what happens when they're allowed to get huge. That's why it's often easier to wait until they're at the desired height, but this is also where difficulties can materialise if anyone complains. 
    Don't worry about the wall. It just won't grow much at that side. Your maintenance would be done from the road side, or even from inside your wall, and will be fairly simple.

    People often worry about being able to plant near them, but that also depends on where you live. It isn't difficult here where I am, but that's because it's reliably wet enough. We should have asked you roughly where you're located, because that's an important factor. 
    They're shallow rooting, so they suck up moisture and that can badly affect other plants, but if they have decent, moisture retentive soil, and regualr moisture, it's much easier.  :)


    Thanks again

    I'm from Suffolk, UK. Ground is wet / damp but not water logged.most the year apart from a few weeks of the year. Very good draining.

    The hedge has replaced a row of 2 a breast hornbeam and they managed to get to 5-6 metres in 10 years. ( Replacing them is not to everyone's liking but we needed the privacy / sound proofing due to council increasing the size of the road in next few years )

    I think next year there will be some new growth entering the desired size we want.. so it's just a case of trimming them off and leaving the rest. also same with the top when it gets to size.

    So there is no cutting stuff back lower then desired to encourage growth or anything like that.

    Thank you
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