Leylandii

Discodog

A client of mine with a big garden needs some Leylandii to screen them from a new development. Because their house is on a rise the trees will need to be allowed to grow to about 30 ft as soon as possible.

Opinion seems divided as to whether one is better planting small plants rather than 6ft/8ft ones. Some argue that big plants take longer to settle & one can be just as well off by planting smaller plants. What do you think ?

foxinsox

Discodog wrote: »

A client of mine with a big garden needs some Leylandii to screen them from a new development. Because their house is on a rise the trees will need to be allowed to grow to about 30 ft as soon as possible.

Opinion seems divided as to whether one is better planting small plants rather than 6ft/8ft ones. Some argue that big plants take longer to settle & one can be just as well off by planting smaller plants. What do you think ?

needs some Leylandii ????

please save our countryside from Leylandii! :rolleyes:

I hope they know that it wil cost them a fortune to get them all cut down when they look horrendous in about ten years..not to mention the stumps that will be left... but at least they'll have firewood.

That's just my personal opinion..

Would you not try and persuade them gently to try some nice trees?

Discodog

They won't ever look horrendous because they will be managed. Their growth will be stopped once they reach the required height. Leylandii actually make a superb hedge provided they are not allowed to grow too high. They also need regular, at least once a year, trimming like any other hedge.

This client has had the house of her dreams ruined by inappropriate development as has the rest of the village. Even with fast growing Lelandii it will still take several years before she can enjoy her garden again.

Far from being a blight Leylandii can provide an excellent environment for nesting birds - my own Leylandii hedge has 3 nests.

dardevle

....


leylandii bashing has become a popular pastime, mostly due to inappropriate planting by inconsiderate people.
in my opinion they can still provide privacy from development in rural settings and when properly managed look a sight better than fences or walls....as you rightly say, yearly attention is a must to keep the trees in check and looking their best.

i would be inclined to use smaller trees (50cm) to begin with, as the larger trees of 5ft+ do not settle in well, especially if pot grown as even with the best of attention the roots don't spread that well. smaller trees also make replacing dead tree's that bit easier. regardless of size the first years growth is always the slowest as the roots establish but after that you can expect 3-4 feet of growth per year given the right conditions.


.....

Fatswaldo

Must agree with discodog and daredevle - my parents have a long leilandi hedge that was properly trimmed and managed since planting 20+ years ago. It is a solid as concrete, no gaps and looks very well. Great job

Burgess5

If you are in a rural area go with plain dark green Leylands. These will blend in much better than the goldern variety or even the weird looking variegated form. I would also go for smaller plants, much cheaper and likely to quickly catch up with the larger ones.

Leylands can look fine if properly managed. The problems usually arise when they are let get out of control and are then hacked back.

Before you plant them- check will they cause problems with shade? Where will their shadows fall?

foxinsox

ok, I've probably just spent too much time trying to rescue hacked Leylandii and probably am biased in my opinion, being 20ft up on top of a Leylandii hedge with a chainsaw has risked my life too many times and scared the crap out of me!

I have one Leylandii in my garden and it's been there 8 years now and it makes a beautiful outdoor Christmas tree!

I do agree that if they are kept trimmed properly they can do a good job, but so many people plant them around their houses, then wait ten years and call someone like me to try and make them look good, which is very hard to do.

To answer your original question I agree with the others that have said plant the smaller ones, they seem to work out better, I know you won't get the height as fast but they will be better looking in the long run!

But I personally still don't like them! :rolleyes:

Sonnenblumen

There are several evergreen screening alternatives besides the ubiquitous Leylandii, many providing more beauty, less maintenance and less possible disruption or local damage.

Discodog

But none that will manage 3 ft per year !.

Sonnenblumen

Discodog wrote: »

But none that will manage 3 ft per year !.

A flawed selection criteria.

Discodog

Not if your beautiful home & garden have been blighted by development. They can't use 70% of their garden because of the noise of building & being overlooked. Not to mention that fact that it has wiped thousands off the value of their home.

looksee

If you want to put in a leylandii hedge, I suppose you will do so.

However, building noise will have stopped before the hedge is any use.

The house is on a rise, so its difficult to see how it could be overlooked.

Someone builds a house and then other houses get built - chances are the first one would not have been built if the area had not been zoned for building - it happens. We had a view of maybe 20 miles to distant mountains, then several estates of houses were built inbetween. I would personally rather have the other houses there than strung along the coastline.

By putting in a selection of decent sized trees, interspersed with large shrubs you could easily have an attractive looking barrier round the property - you dont have to put in a solid mass of hedging, just put in something more interesting to look at.

exaisle

Many local authorities specifically ban leylandii in the terms of many planning permissions....apparantly they are neither local nor indigenous.

I think that their popularity was mainly because they are fast growing and that's their only plus as far as I can see. One thing I've noticed is if they are trimmed back too far, the foliage never recovers, so you end up with a "bald" spot which is very unattractive.

It's not so much that I dont like them....it's that I hate them! Ugh.

e.

Discodog

looksee wrote: »

If you want to put in a leylandii hedge, I suppose you will do so.

However, building noise will have stopped before the hedge is any use.

The house is on a rise, so its difficult to see how it could be overlooked.

Someone builds a house and then other houses get built - chances are the first one would not have been built if the area had not been zoned for building - it happens. We had a view of maybe 20 miles to distant mountains, then several estates of houses were built inbetween. I would personally rather have the other houses there than strung along the coastline.

By putting in a selection of decent sized trees, interspersed with large shrubs you could easily have an attractive looking barrier round the property - you dont have to put in a solid mass of hedging, just put in something more interesting to look at.

If only you were right however as I said the property is on a rise & the new apartments are on a higher rise. The screening is needed from about 20 ft to over 30 ft. I don't "want" to put in a Leylandi hedge. My client has asked for the options. Their house was built 25 years ago. The new buildings are apartment blocks.

Because the trees will be in a dip, even at 30 ft, they will not appear high. If you can suggest "something interesting" that will grow quickly to 30 ft, be tolerant of sea spray, & wind oh & be evergreen then I will add it to the list.

If tree planting in the West has to be local or indigenous there will not be a lot of planting. These are in Kew Gardens:

Sonnenblumen

^^^^^ You know, I have often wondered why there are so few trees in the west? Its never too late to start tree planting. Do try and stake them, nothing worse than seeing good trees leaning.

You've only mentioned one species, what else have you suggested to the client?

padi89

Discodog wrote: »

Far from being a blight Leylandii can provide an excellent environment for nesting birds - my own Leylandii hedge has 3 nests.

Not so true, this has been discussed a few times on wildlife forums and there are two sides. Smaller birds may nest but the soft foliage does not provide protection from predators. Magpies can easily gain access to the nests and take eggs or chicks. From what i remember it was agreed that they can be good for roosting in the winter months but not for nesting.

A 30ft Leylandii is going to be some fun to prune, you'll need to be at it at least twice a year not once to "try" and keep it looking well. At that height will they have any affect on any neighbors that includes people in the apartments? The reason i ask is because neighbors planted them near us and when i asked about them i was told they would be kept in check ... they never were and now at 30ft cast my garden in shade for many months of the year ... nice eh?

looksee

Surely the only way to prune 30ft leylandii will be with a cherry-picker?

Discodog

Here in the land of few trees birds seize on any cover that they can get. It may not be ideal but my pigeon, robin & thrush would all say that it's better than nothing. The pigeon has returned for 4 years !.

As for pruning these would only need topping when they are close to the required height & then a possible shape once a year. We are not talking about a hedge which I would cut 4 times or more a year. There is a possibility that they may be pleached. If a cherry picker is required then the client will pay.

Regarding recommending other species that is rather difficult when the client requires 30 feet in the minimum possible time. They can cope with their 180 degree sea view being reduced to 60 but they want to be able to enjoy their garden. If we could fill the dip, which is not possible, then the trees would not need to be so high.

I would be heartbroken of it were my home so I can understand how they feel. Maybe that is why they give me continuous work & have recommended me to many others. Last week I ended up wearing ear defenders over my earphones so that I could hear the radio. A rock crushing machine makes a lot of noise & dust. When this work is over there will still be a section of land awaiting more development if or when the economy allows.

Any tree can become a nuisance. Leylandi are only different because they can become a nuisance sooner. If we follow UK law then Leylandi won't be banned or restricted. But their height & the height of any hedge will be subject to not causing a nuisance.

padi89

Discodog wrote: »

Here in the land of few trees birds seize on any cover that they can get. It may not be ideal but my pigeon, robin & thrush would all say that it's better than nothing. The pigeon has returned for 4 years !.

As for pruning these would only need topping when they are close to the required height & then a possible shape once a year. We are not talking about a hedge which I would cut 4 times or more a year. There is a possibility that they may be pleached. If a cherry picker is required then the client will pay.

Regarding recommending other species that is rather difficult when the client requires 30 feet in the minimum possible time. They can cope with their 180 degree sea view being reduced to 60 but they want to be able to enjoy their garden. If we could fill the dip, which is not possible, then the trees would not need to be so high.

I would be heartbroken of it were my home so I can understand how they feel. Maybe that is why they give me continuous work & have recommended me to many others. Last week I ended up wearing ear defenders over my earphones so that I could hear the radio. A rock crushing machine makes a lot of noise & dust. When this work is over there will still be a section of land awaiting more development if or when the economy allows.

Any tree can become a nuisance. Leylandi are only different because they can become a nuisance sooner. If we follow UK law then Leylandi won't be banned or restricted. But their height & the height of any hedge will be subject to not causing a nuisance.

The land of no trees? Your talking like trees are a birds requirement. Are there no bushes, hedges, old buildings, barns, thick ground cover in your area that are natural nesting sites ?
Has your client actually viewed what a 30ft Leylandii will look like and im not talking from a book ? Are they fully aware of the extra cost involved in maintaining these? Will they have an effect on any neighbors in the area including the new development for light,view or overhanging on others property? (you still haven't answered this).
As for the noise, the rock crushing will stop in time it's not permanent and earphones don't offer any external noise isolation unless they are decent ones that go in your ear canal and seal.
Maybe they will suit the site i just hope you and your client are taking everything into consideration and its not just a rush for cover asap.

Discodog

I was referring to the residents of my leylandi hedge.

Of course they know what it will look like & as I am maintaining their garden they know the cost & it's a minute fraction of the loss to the value of their property. The trees will be in a low lying area surrounded by higher properties. No property is closer than 500 ft. They will not affect anyone's view except my client's & the apartments view into her property.

The noise has been going on for two years & whilst it may stop with the recession it will continue later. I said that I had to put ear guards over my earphones. I have also used noise cancelling phones when working there.

My client & I have been planting other species & discussing this for 4 years so hardly rushed.

Sonnenblumen

Discodog wrote: »

I was referring to the residents of my leylandi hedge.

Of course they know what it will look like & as I am maintaining their garden they know the cost & it's a minute fraction of the loss to the value of their property. The trees will be in a low lying area surrounded by higher properties. No property is closer than 500 ft. They will not affect anyone's view except my client's & the apartments view into her property.

The noise has been going on for two years & whilst it may stop with the recession it will continue later. I said that I had to put ear guards over my earphones. I have also used noise cancelling phones when working there.

My client & I have been planting other species & discussing this for 4 years so hardly rushed.

If this is an ongoing site development/planting for 4 years, what are you using for digging holes? Toothpicks. Also if this project has been running for so long, why are you only looking now for options. Seems to me there is no formal plan or work programme?

Anyways it seems rich to be seeking advice here and picking brains etc, when in fact you have a paying client! Your comments would cause me plenty of concern, I'm out of here!! :eek:

Discodog

I came here to gain thoughts regarding the best size to plant to achieve the most rapid growth rate. I did not expect an ethical discussion regarding the pros & cons of Leylandi.

The height needed to screen this particular area has changed during the 4 years that I have been with the client. It may seem to you that there is no program but the client & I would see it differently. But I am more than willing to pass on your details in case the client considers my advice to be poor & needs to consult an obvious expert even though you haven't answered my original post.

Fortunately Wisely were more than happy to provide some practical, unemotional advice.

foxinsox

Discodog wrote: »

I came here to gain thoughts regarding the best size to plant to achieve the most rapid growth rate. I did not expect an ethical discussion regarding the pros & cons of Leylandi.

The height needed to screen this particular area has changed during the 4 years that I have been with the client. It may seem to you that there is no program but the client & I would see it differently. But I am more than willing to pass on your details in case the client considers my advice to be poor & needs to consult an obvious expert even though you haven't answered my original post.

Fortunately Wisely were more than happy to provide some practical, unemotional advice.

Hi Discodog

I think the most important thing is that your client is happy. It seems that from reading all your posts that you have made them fully aware of how big they will grow and how much they will cost to be maintained.

I think that whenever you post anything here it is open to discussion, it's the nature of the internet.

I was writing from my own personal experience and therefore I personally am not a fan of Leylandii. But I wouldn't really say I'd get emotional over it, well unless it's trying to kill me, then I find I can get quite loud and emotional!

Best of luck with the job for your client.

looksee

Discodog, I admit I was beginning to feel a bit sorry for you - you ask a simple question and you get opinions! But as the previous poster said, you go on the internet and people are going to discuss things. However with one google phrase 'planting size leylandii' I got this very helpful site http://www.leylandii-hedging.co.uk/leylandii_hedging_faq.html who answer your questions, and are on your side!

PS Please plant something else....:D

Emilio01

Leylandii is the best tree to plant as it can filter up to 30 % of atmospheric pollution. It is in fact a tree and not a hedging shrub. These trees are crazy in growth so there won’t be a problem if you plant smaller plants or 6ft/8ft ones, it will always try to get to its ultimate height. Make sure to trim and tidy up a formal Leylandii hedge every year.

Sonnenblumen

Emilio01 wrote: »

Leylandii is the best tree to plant as it can filter up to 30 % of atmospheric pollution. It is in fact a tree and not a hedging shrub. These trees are crazy in growth so there won’t be a problem if you plant smaller plants or 6ft/8ft ones, it will always try to get to its ultimate height. Make sure to trim and tidy up a formal Leylandii hedge every year.

That's nothing unique to Leylandii, in fact all trees do much the same, and of course this will be a function of size. Inappropriate planting is not only unwise, impractical and therefore in specific circumstances irresponsible. Hence the many difficulties with trees such as Leylandii. The fact they may take 'deeper breaths' is surely irrelevant?

jezko

Would you not consider a "semi mature" evergeen tree you can source 25-30 foot trees if your client wants to pay for privacy , and still have some interest in his garden. Pruning won't as big a problem for you

Eucalyptus, might be vigourous enough for you

Nothofagus,

Quercus ilex, the Holm Oak or Holly Oak / evergreen Oak slow growing

A good Nursery / garden Centre should find what you need

Expensive , but you'll have somethin your client might like