yes we will need privacy all year round we are really overlooked so i would need something to grow fast. Thankyou for your advice i will look into silver birch Simonkeating.
You can do it yourself, too. I planted a root cutting from the cherry tree in my former neighbour's garden - the roots surfaced in my lawn and sprouted when scraped by the lawnmower - 15 years ago, when it was a skinny twig, at the east end of the garden. Now it's the height of a two-storey house, shades the garden in the morning and provides glorious blossom, privacy (as well as lots of cherries for both me and the wildlife) in a hot summer and good architectural form even in winter.
For faster growth, especially height and lovely blossom, try acacia: sometimes mis-sold as mimosa. Mine rivalled the cherry tree's height in half the time, even after being grown in a pot for several years.
we have false accacia's in our garden, (robinia pseudoacacia) and while they do grow quickly, they are a nightmare for suckers and are quite invasive. not one to reccomend unless you can get a dwarfy variety.
If you can get the roots out so much the better. When we moved in here there were over 20 leylandii trees each about 15 feet to 20 feet high. We cut them about 3 foot off the ground, trimmed off the wispy bits and dug around the stem in about a 3 foot diameter, chopping through roots with an axe as we met them. Their roots are surprisingly easy to cut and not too numerous or too deep. By keeping a long bit of trunk you can use it as a handle to rock the roots loose.
We are well into our 60s and didn't find it too taxing. Didn't do them all in a day though. One a week. Stored for a year the timber burns beautifully in a log burner.
Yew ..though not the fastest grower at first, once established gets going nicely, a doddle to shape and prune and Ideal for the "privacy sensitive" as Yew is an evergreen. Re the old trees surley it would be best to remove as much of the old root system of your leylandii as possible to give the newcomer the best possible start..If patience is an issue and you buy a tallish tree to get you started (try Hillers near Winchester) I would suggest subterranean guy ropes or wires to support the tree until it's root system is established.
Barcham is a well reputed supplier of established trees. Personally, for such a long term investment, I would prefer to go and visit them and choose the individual trees myself. They are located at Eye Hill Drove, Cambridgeshire, CB7 5XF. Perhaps turn it into a weekend away?
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yes we will need privacy all year round we are really overlooked so i would need something to grow fast. Thankyou for your advice i will look into silver birch Simonkeating.
You can do it yourself, too. I planted a root cutting from the cherry tree in my former neighbour's garden - the roots surfaced in my lawn and sprouted when scraped by the lawnmower - 15 years ago, when it was a skinny twig, at the east end of the garden. Now it's the height of a two-storey house, shades the garden in the morning and provides glorious blossom, privacy (as well as lots of cherries for both me and the wildlife) in a hot summer and good architectural form even in winter.
For faster growth, especially height and lovely blossom, try acacia: sometimes mis-sold as mimosa. Mine rivalled the cherry tree's height in half the time, even after being grown in a pot for several years.
we have false accacia's in our garden, (robinia pseudoacacia) and while they do grow quickly, they are a nightmare for suckers and are quite invasive. not one to reccomend unless you can get a dwarfy variety.
Will I be ok planting established trees next to the roots and stumps of the old leylandiis? Or will I have to have the stpumps removed?
If you can get the roots out so much the better. When we moved in here there were over 20 leylandii trees each about 15 feet to 20 feet high. We cut them about 3 foot off the ground, trimmed off the wispy bits and dug around the stem in about a 3 foot diameter, chopping through roots with an axe as we met them. Their roots are surprisingly easy to cut and not too numerous or too deep. By keeping a long bit of trunk you can use it as a handle to rock the roots loose.
We are well into our 60s and didn't find it too taxing. Didn't do them all in a day though. One a week. Stored for a year the timber burns beautifully in a log burner.
Yew ..though not the fastest grower at first, once established gets going nicely, a doddle to shape and prune and Ideal for the "privacy sensitive" as Yew is an evergreen. Re the old trees surley it would be best to remove as much of the old root system of your leylandii as possible to give the newcomer the best possible start..If patience is an issue and you buy a tallish tree to get you started (try Hillers near Winchester) I would suggest subterranean guy ropes or wires to support the tree until it's root system is established.
Barcham is a well reputed supplier of established trees. Personally, for such a long term investment, I would prefer to go and visit them and choose the individual trees myself. They are located at Eye Hill Drove, Cambridgeshire, CB7 5XF. Perhaps turn it into a weekend away?
http://www.barcham.co.uk
Here is the RHS site listing UK nurseries that sell trees. There is bound to be one near you.
http://apps.rhs.org.uk/rhsplantfinder/nurseryfinder2.asp?txtNurs=&txtcode=&d1=0&txtspec=fl&Search=Search