1st pst - straight in with leylandii !

Hi,

Thanks for having me and as it's my 1st post please be gentle :rolleyes: .

I moved into a new build house in march, tidy back gardnen, south facing, level, lawned (45 ft ish by 30 ft ish tapering to 15ft ish) on nice top soil, which drains well.

Any way, whilst the garden is surrounded by a 6 ft fence I want to put up some hedging at the bottom end. For one because the fence is open slats onto a lightly used access path and 2, because I wanted some quick grow greenery to fill in the bottom of the garden as at the minute it's just a basic flat lawn with all round fence and recently extended, slabbed patio..

So, in a fit of bargain buying today, I bought 6 x 3ft conifers -green leylandii- ((buy 1 (�£9.99) get 2 free at Focus DIY).They are in good nick, big rootballs and straight.

I got them for the bottom end of the garden where it narrows to 15 ft across.

Any advice how to plant them from basics like

how deep a hole cf the root ball?
do I need to put compost in or just top up with top soil?
do I need to water a lot at first?
how should I best space them apart?

sorry for yabbering on at the start, and no offence taken if you despise leylandii and all those who have them!

thanks in advance

rob b :D

 

PS - you'd never guess I never used emoticons before

 

Welcome rob b,Leylandii tend to be easy growing, thats why they've got a bad name, they grow far too well. :D
As long as the ground isn't rockhard and all subsoil, they probably wont need much to get them going and with the autumn coming on you've picked a good time to plant, only need to water for the next few weeks if its dry and possibly nexy spring if its a dry one.
I'm not sure on the recommended planting distance for leylandii 3-4 ft perhaps, and plant at the same depth that they are growing at now.

 

thanks pete

 

OK, invest in a chainsaw. Now!

Your garden is south facing so I assume the mid day sun shadows will fall directly across your garden. Think weeds 20 - 30 foot high in 5 years! Even in summer, your garden will be in shade for a good part of the day and in winter the shadows will reach the house if the trees (yes they are trees!) are left to their own devices so be prepared to hack theose Leylandii every six months to keep them under control.

 

Rob, Leylandii grow on average 18" to 2ft a year. They will rob any lawn growing in close proximity and your neighbours will hate you.....only joking (Thats if you allow them to grow too tall. Best to leave at least 3ft apart for a good hedge that way you will not suffocate them. They can suffer from wind damage but saying that they can make an excellent wind break. Good Luck in a few years you might wish you had planted a good old fashioned laurel hedge.

 

If kept trimmed a Leylandii is an excellent hedge. It has a compact impenetrable growth and neat shape.

I'm sure you know what happens if it's neglected.

Let it grow to the required height, cut off the top and trim the sides, and you will be rewarded with privacy without offending neighbours.

 

Please beware - I'm with the others on leylandii - I would advise to leave them alone because they are forest trees and not hedging material. My daughter had to pay lots to have them removed from her new garden because they were putting the garden in complete shadow. The previous owners had not kept them trimmed so they were over 20 feet high.

 

All good advice above.
They can make a fine hedge if you are prepared to put in a lot of work trimming them but for a gap of just 15ft I would be inclined to put in a fence for privacy with a selection of flowering shrubs in front. Could work out cheaper in the long run too.

 

I find little wrong with leylandii. What angers me is the fact that they have been given a bad name through people planting them in the wrong place, for the wrong purpose and don't know how to care for them and keep them to a reasonable height - which has already been mentioned.

Having been so much misused for many decades I can well understand the dislike many have of them, and their view is equally valid.

Not any help to you now but for others who might be intending to plant a fast growing conifer I would recommend x Cupressocyparis leylandii 'Castlewellan Gold'. Slower growing and much better for hedging purposes than the green form.
'Castlewellan Gold' below, planted 18" apart to form a screen and wind break.