Portuguese Laurel – looks more attractive imo, but slower growing and may not reach the height needed.
Red Robin – apparently can smell like sperm
Italian Cypress – planting these in specific places to cover the windows. But might look weird.
Grow an evergreen vine into the hawthorn hedge at the back to give evergreen cover.
koko701 on
Tactical tree placement is another option which may save you lots of work in the future
krokadog on
Fast growing natives like birch and elder might be nicer to look at, let more light through, be a benefit for wildlife, and allow for interesting underplanting.
Ph0n1k on
I’ve never met anyone that has said ‘im glad i planted that leylandii’ Look at alternatives, a couple of Apple trees perhaps
Severe-Log-0675 on
Which way is north, where does the sun rise and set?
From my experience of leylandii, in two or three years you’ll seriously regret it because they will already be outstripping your ability to keep them tidy and they will grow to an unimaginable height if not cut back, probably at least twice a year.
Be patient, find an alternative that’s prettier and more easily maintained. You’ll be glad you did and so will everyone else involved, including future purchasers of your house. It may even be illegal to plant such hedging and I doubt leylandii will add value.
Some possibilities: hawthorn, laurel, holly, rhododendron.
AdventurousTeach994 on
NOT LEYLANDII!
AutumnSunshiiine on
I would plant fruit trees. Apple, plum, greengage. You’ve got the space. Does it matter they’re not evergreen? They’ll have leaves for all the time you’re likely to be out in the garden.
Multigrain_Migraine on
Leylandii is never the answer IMHO. Though you at least have more space for it than most people I see with them.
Maybe an array of smaller evergreens like holly?
SnooGoats3389 on
Native all the way, better for wildlife, generally better for our weather conditions, less likely to turn into unmanageable wall with chunks of brown deadwood where hacked back all the way
I think about it this way….that’s a big garden so your neighbours will need binoculars to go curtain twitching and how much time does anyone spend outside in their garden in the winter other than pottering around. People get hung up on “privacy” from neighbours and end up planting trees that go overboard. Evergreen may be lovely but its high maintenance and you don’t need an impenetrable wall in the middle of February a narive hedge with bare branches is more than suitable
Colloidal_entropy on
Consider Western Red Cedar, marginally slower growing than Leylandii, but if you miss a year trimming will regrow if cut into brown wood.
NotWigg0 on
Laurel and rhodedendron are evergreen, fairly quick growing and easily managed. I also have a clump forming bamboo that has reached 12-15′ in three years that does an excellent job of screening and is far more interesting visually that Leylandii.
greylaggoosie on
Please no! You’ll regret it eventually.
Jimlad73 on
Silver birch!
Retro_infusion on
Aww you worried they’ve got nothing better to do with their lives than spy on you all day lol
vishbar on
Out of curiosity, why are people so against Leylandii? I grew up in the US and always had a Leyland Cypress as a Christmas tree and found them pleasant enough
Grouchy-Bell6388 on
Mix of holly, pine and any other evergreen you like the look of. Much better looking to have a variety and will benefit more critters.
AdzJayS on
That’s horribly overlooked, I sympathise!
I understand why you would be keen to plant leylandii because of the speed of growth to quickly throw a screen up but there are options that are much more beneficial to wildlife and also more aesthetically pleasing if you can put up with the wait while they establish or have the money to spend on buying mature specimens.
The options I’m thinking for the space you’ve photographed is strategically placed trees like catalpa, Acer palmatum, Cornus Kousa, flowering cherry and Hawthorn because you already have the existing hedge on the boundary. That looks like it could do with being thickened up too. You could use blackthorn and elder for that.
17 Comments
My alternatives would be:
Portuguese Laurel – looks more attractive imo, but slower growing and may not reach the height needed.
Red Robin – apparently can smell like sperm
Italian Cypress – planting these in specific places to cover the windows. But might look weird.
Grow an evergreen vine into the hawthorn hedge at the back to give evergreen cover.
Tactical tree placement is another option which may save you lots of work in the future
Fast growing natives like birch and elder might be nicer to look at, let more light through, be a benefit for wildlife, and allow for interesting underplanting.
I’ve never met anyone that has said ‘im glad i planted that leylandii’ Look at alternatives, a couple of Apple trees perhaps
Which way is north, where does the sun rise and set?
From my experience of leylandii, in two or three years you’ll seriously regret it because they will already be outstripping your ability to keep them tidy and they will grow to an unimaginable height if not cut back, probably at least twice a year.
Be patient, find an alternative that’s prettier and more easily maintained. You’ll be glad you did and so will everyone else involved, including future purchasers of your house. It may even be illegal to plant such hedging and I doubt leylandii will add value.
Some possibilities: hawthorn, laurel, holly, rhododendron.
NOT LEYLANDII!
I would plant fruit trees. Apple, plum, greengage. You’ve got the space. Does it matter they’re not evergreen? They’ll have leaves for all the time you’re likely to be out in the garden.
Leylandii is never the answer IMHO. Though you at least have more space for it than most people I see with them.
Maybe an array of smaller evergreens like holly?
Native all the way, better for wildlife, generally better for our weather conditions, less likely to turn into unmanageable wall with chunks of brown deadwood where hacked back all the way
I think about it this way….that’s a big garden so your neighbours will need binoculars to go curtain twitching and how much time does anyone spend outside in their garden in the winter other than pottering around. People get hung up on “privacy” from neighbours and end up planting trees that go overboard. Evergreen may be lovely but its high maintenance and you don’t need an impenetrable wall in the middle of February a narive hedge with bare branches is more than suitable
Consider Western Red Cedar, marginally slower growing than Leylandii, but if you miss a year trimming will regrow if cut into brown wood.
Laurel and rhodedendron are evergreen, fairly quick growing and easily managed. I also have a clump forming bamboo that has reached 12-15′ in three years that does an excellent job of screening and is far more interesting visually that Leylandii.
Please no! You’ll regret it eventually.
Silver birch!
Aww you worried they’ve got nothing better to do with their lives than spy on you all day lol
Out of curiosity, why are people so against Leylandii? I grew up in the US and always had a Leyland Cypress as a Christmas tree and found them pleasant enough
Mix of holly, pine and any other evergreen you like the look of. Much better looking to have a variety and will benefit more critters.
That’s horribly overlooked, I sympathise!
I understand why you would be keen to plant leylandii because of the speed of growth to quickly throw a screen up but there are options that are much more beneficial to wildlife and also more aesthetically pleasing if you can put up with the wait while they establish or have the money to spend on buying mature specimens.
The options I’m thinking for the space you’ve photographed is strategically placed trees like catalpa, Acer palmatum, Cornus Kousa, flowering cherry and Hawthorn because you already have the existing hedge on the boundary. That looks like it could do with being thickened up too. You could use blackthorn and elder for that.