Evergreen Trees

Hello,

I am new here . And I already got a question for you guys as I am just startign out with gardening:

I have just moved house with a nice garden and we have some evergreen trees there (any idea what their name is?). Unfortuntely they got a bit brown at the bottom and I dunno why and what to do against it so I would appreciate some tips. I assume they haven't been watered properly. Is there a way to get them green again or are they just gonna stay this way?

Thanks for your help!
Anne

 

Hello, Anne, and welcome to GC.

The trees look like Leylandii to me, which tend to go brown at the base with age, but these don't look old to me by the trunks. As they are in pots, I would suspect the dead branches are due to lack of water, especially since they are in pots. I have never known them to recover from this. However, you can strip off all the brown, cut the branches back and see if they resprout. Also, you could cut the tops off to encourage new growth below. Good luck.

Enjoy the forum.

 

conifers never grow back once you cut into the dead wood, when you cut off the brown you'll have bare trunk and if you cut off the top they will bush out but not grow any taller. Hope that helps.

 

I agree with TO to a certain extent. If you cut these lower branches back, they will not rejuvinate and the plants will look just as bad as they do now. Where I do disagree with TO is that not all conifers fail to grow back, Thuja plicata ( Western Red Cedar ) will recover.Savid.

 

I also agree but disagree with you TO slightly in that if you don't cut the whole branch off, it will reshoot. I had 50 of them in Bucks for 18 years. I also had two in the IoW in pots that got very neglected one winter we were here (a nine month winter) but they rallied back after a massacre.

Also, on the same thought, Lavender and Rosemary also grow back when cut into the old wood contrary to popular belief ... I've done it many times and was told on this forum last year I was a fool to attempt it ... I did, no regrets!

 

It looks to me like they were originally planted to give some privacy from the nieghbours perhaps.
Personally I dont think they have a very bright future if left in the pots probably need watering every day even during the winter to grow well.
So, I'd sadly get shot of them, and if something is needed as a screen in that position,I'd perhaps try to come up with a more permanent idea.

 

I agree with Pete ditch them there's much nicer stuff you can grow in containers that will give you privacy without the hassel.

 

Hi Guys,

thanks a lot for all your replies. Lady Gardenerre: How much of the branches should I cut off and how long should I leave them? The tops have already been trimmed by the previous owners.

peterjrpowell1ht, they were planted to give some privacy from the neighbours as the previous owners told us. I'll have a look what what else we can use next year, any recommendations?

Thanks,
Anne

 

Hello again, Anne. To be honest, I agree with pete and walnut. They are very untidy trees if not trained early.

My suggestion would be to get a 6 foot piece of trellis like there is over the back gate and attach it to the green container the pots are in thereby giving some support and height. Then there are two options ...

One, line the green container with plastic and fill with compost/soil or, two, fill the current four pots with compost/soil. You could then plant evergreen climbers (which grow quickly) such as Honeysuckle, Clematis, Jasmine, Passiflora, Solanum ... the list is wide and varied. I would personally opt for filling the green container, put a pretty flowering Cherry tree or Acer in the middle and a couple of climbers on either side. This would give you a could screen ready for next year.

pete may have some other suggestions

 

Must admit that after suggesting getting rid of the conifers I was hoping that I would not be asked to come up with the alternative. :D
There are others on here with a much better idea than mine about creative gardening.
I agree with LoL, a trellis on top of the fence would be a good start, the height of which needs to be thought out so that it doesn't look too out of place, and also it will need to be strongly supported.

Think I would carry on growing in the pots as I'm not sure what timber the large container is made out of, it may just be pallet material, in which case it wouldn't last long full of soil.
Better still, would it be possible to create a planting area through the decking, and into the soil underneath.

 

Those trees will never look like anything, nor will they ever grow back at the base
I would buy a six by six trellis fence to affix to the existing and grow something up that, such as has been suggested
The Leylandii will burn well if dug out and left to dry before being cut into blocks for the fire
They were planted in completely the wrong place, in the wrong conditions, and were the wrong plant in the first instance
Sorry ... did someone suggest that I don't agree with leylandii in small gardens? :D
Incidentally, it is actually illegal to grow leylandii in small gardens in many places and is most probably a breach of covenant in the terms of your tenancy or lease

 

I hope thats not right about being illegal to grow leylandii whis4ey, I've never heard of such a thing.
Is the state now meddling in as to what we can and cant grow in our gardens.
What if I wanted to bonsai one, would that be illegal also?
I think I will grow some just to be awkward. :D

 

No, no Pete. In this case it isn't actually the state. It's local councils that can pass bye-laws if they consider a certain action is anti-social.

We have fairly small gardens round here and I would go spare if my next door neighbour put in a leylandii hedge and let it grow to more than about 2 metres which is the council guide for fencing/hedging in this area. Fortunately (or unfortunately) my NDN is only interested in growing dandelions and had no objection at all when I put up a new 6 foot fence, (to replace the old one) as long as no contribution was required. The other side NDN has a lovely expanse of concrete and actually did contribute when I put one on their side.

Ah well you win some........... :confused: :D