Leylandii Hedge advice sought

Lomast

Finally got around at the weekend to taking a chainsaw to the top of a rather overgrown hedge that has been neglected for many years before we moved in and was about 18' tall.

The only problem is most of the nice green growth was on the top and im now left with a nice square hedge that's brown and dead looking.

Any tips on how to encourage new growth where i want it should i cut out more of the brown or just let it grow as it wants and keep it trimmed?

Any advice gratefully received

Ectophile

I would recommend chopping the whole lot down and planting a new hedge.

Conifers don't like being heavily "pruned". If there's nothing green left on them, they are unlikely to ever recover.

Davesnave

Leylandii do not re-grow from brown wood, so if the tree has been correctly identified, it's a lost cause.

Mojisola

Lomast wrote: »

The only problem is most of the nice green growth was on the top and im now left with a nice square hedge that's brown and dead looking.

It's very unlikely to regenerate.

If digging it all out isn't an option, you could plant a selection of small flowered clematis at the base and let them grow through the bare framework.

You'll need to improve the soil if you plant anything new because the soil under the hedge won't be in good condition.