Any plant that grows to the point of encroaching or effecting a neighbour's garden detrimentally should be controlled by law. These trees cause misery to mostly retired people who spend more time in their home and garden and to whom it is their main source of enjoyment. The cold shade and damage to the soil that Leylandii cause is far more serious than is realised. You can try for years and as hard as you like to grow a beautiful garden in their shade but you won't succeed. Also with our British weather we get quite a few days of sunshine in the winter and this undoubtedly lifts our mood; imagine living in the shadow of these trees which act as a screen and behind which is the most glorious warm sunshine and it cannot reach you. This subject seems insignificant and almost ridiculous but clearly it has a major impact and that's why there is some legislation is in place. We just need to get to that one stage further where the law is clear enough to tackle the problem simply, say by local authorities acting upon cases as adjudicators and without requiring a fee. What the hell is the big deal anyway!? What is so precious about these ugly, dark green, dusty, life sapping trees? We all want privacy, no doubt about that and there are many plants that are beautiful, easy to maintain and neighbour friendly. "Evergreen" sounds such a romantic word but in the context of the English seasons, it takes on a perniciousness. It cuts out light and heat, it doesn't do that magic thing of anouncing Spring is here, it saps the soil, it gives solid, not dappled shade, it never changes - it is like a dusty old drab curtain that needs throwing away to let the sunshine in.
I canot think of any plant that I actually hate, dislike some . My biggest dislike is the leylandii but this is mainly the fault of those owners who don't keep control of it. I have one next door to me which swamps their garden and blots the sun out from mine but they are nice young people and I try in a friendly way to let them know. They are always promising to do something about it but never do, I think they are worried about the cost as it is very costly. I must mention it again before next spring when I will be planting up my little veg patch.
We have about 7 Leylandii in the garden of our new house. we obviously want to get rid of them, but at this time of the year (march 2010) I believe them to be full of nesting birds. What is the best time to chop these horrors down ???
You will have to move very quickly: birds are definitely on the look out for nesting sites at the moment and Leylandii, because they are dense and many branched, are hot properties. Might be best to hang on until the autumn when all the birds have fledged.
I am wanting to remove 4 Leylandii from a garden, but need to plant something in its place to act as a screen. How long after removal and plenty of manure can I begin planting. Is there anything special I should add to the soil? I am thinking of putting in a rhododendron and a viburnum plicatum Mariesii in place would these be any good?? As much advice appreciated
I recently had a row of out-of-control Leylandii trees taken down by chainsaw. They were once a hedge but had grown into 8 metre tall trees. A neighbour did the job for me in return for the sizeable upright branches for his wood-burner. I asked him to leave the stumps at about eye-level for me, at around 1.75m, and the plan is to grow clematis up them. The question is, is it safe to do this or will the trunks evntually topple over once the roots have rotted? I think I already know the answer so my follow-up question is how long do I have before the roots rot?
Can you believe that my local authority has just served me with a protection order on a number of these trees on my property. Two or three of them are already taller than the surrounding houses, but they say they add to the ambience of the area and are a public amenity! I'm not even allowed to prune them without written permission and yet I'm held responsible if they cause any damage. Can you believe it?
hi my laylandi is out of control and got to about 8 feet wide and 8 feet high taking far too much of my neighbours and my garden. It looks quite bushy on the outside but is far to big. If i cut it back to about 3 foot wide and 3 foot tall will it bush out again.
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Might be best to hang on until the autumn when all the birds have fledged.