hedging shrub in poor conditions?

Good evening all. haven taken a look around the site, you all seem a friendly and helpful bunch and I look forward to getting to know you all a bit better over the coming months.

Now the problem.

I have a hedge that is mainly Privet. half way along it my neighbour has a VERY large LLaylandi (sorry, just can't remember how to spell it!)
Tree. I also have a small Lleylandi hedge at the same point at a right angle to the main privet hedge.

At this juncture the soil is very poor, and dry, and is for large parts of the day in full or partial shade. The Privet has all but died at this point. Can anybody recomend a shrub that would tolerate such situations and help form a bit of hedging there again?

Just to explain, we have only just taken the house over, and it wasn't our design!

many thanks in advance for any help you can give me on this brain teasing problem!
regards Woody

 

I think its probably the large leylandii that is sucking up available mosture and nutrients, as you say also at this point there is privet and other small leylandii's which is probably too much for that area to sustain

Other than a fence which would spoil the line a little, you could cut out the dead privet and try to prune the existing privet either side of the gap on the front and back and try to encourage it to spread out sideways to fill the gap...its usually fairly adaptable

 

Thanks Steve, yes it is almost certainly the tree causing the problem.

I notice your surname is Woodward... So is Mine! my family hailed from Nottingham area so we could be distant relatives... oh my gawd!
Woody

 

I'm with SteveW on this one,in that it's probably the Leylandii greedily taking the moisture & whatever nutrients are left.
You could try something like a Mahonia which won't mind being in the shade,looks nice & even has nice scented flowers but beware of the spiky leaves!
Or-- try and encourage the existing privet to fill the gap? It's remarkably resilient!

 

We are close to Notts, and I also get called woody :D

 

Toptaff, thank you. mahonia isn't a bad idea, and as you say can be fragrant. But how could I encourage the Privet to grow across the gap if I wanted to go that route.?

(I cant believe this, first Steve has the same surname as me, then I notice you're from west wales!)now if I was into conspiracy theories...
Woody

 

If you want to try and establish the privet back, try layering it. This means cutting into ( very gently ) a small portion of a long stem at the leafy end on the underside of it with a pruning knife. Then bend the stem over towards your Leylandii and and place the cut area onto the soil and peg down both sides of the cut with wire pegs and cover over with some soil . This will eventually re shoot and establish. It should shoot again within a season.
If you cannot wait this long then try planting some Yew transplants as they will withstand all the shade you can throw at them.