Laylandii - what's the big deal?

Jaffapig

Ok so the house I'm hopefully purchasing has a lovely south facing garden which has a thick, neat conifer hedge on it's external sides. I didn't think much more about it than that..

So then my Mother had a bit of a giggle about 'laylandii' but I didn't ask much further at the time, and now I've seen two references to them on MSE in the last week (one in the same sentence as Japanese knotweed :undecided) and I'm starting to worry :rotfl:

They just grow really fast is that it? Causing neighbourly disputes as a consequence? Can I simply lop off the tops and sides with a standard hedge trimmer on a regular basis? Or does it require more effort/more heavy duty equipment than that? Do I have to worry about what time of year I trim them (does it end up killing bits of the plant and turning brown?)

Cakeguts

They grow really really fast in all directions not just up and they get bald at the bottom you finish up with fast growing trees. You will finish up with a garden surrounded by tree trunks with a lot of green at the top. You might want to find out what is wrong with the neighbours where someone has wanted to plant a huge hedge round the garden.

cajef

Google is your friend:-

http://www.leylandii.com/

Smodlet

Leylandii are fast growing, yes. They are in no way in the same category as Japanese knotweed, which is a nightmare and a good reason not to buy a house. Leylandi are generally regarded as uncool, I think, which may account for your mother's reaction.

They take up a lot of space, are unpopular with neighbours as they cut off light/views and the roots can cause problems if left unchecked. For instance, the drive in our last house developed bumps and cracks which a surveyor told us was caused by the roots of the humungous leylandi hedge marking our front boundary. Our buyers removed it... Bye bye, privacy but their house, their choice.

There are plenty of other shrubs which afford privacy without the complications leylandi can cause, e.g. laurel.

If you keep them under control and prune back to the "dieback" brown foliage every year in the late Autumn (October or November) you should have few problems. It depends how much you value your privacy against how much you want to do with your garden. If you want pretty borders, nothing will grow under leylandi for lack of light and moisture. Vegetables will not enjoy competing with them for same. If all you want is a lawn/courtyard surrounded by a living wall, leave 'em be but trim them back every year.

Another thing to bear in mind is that, if you do decide to keep them, you may need to ask your immediate neighbour(s) for access to trim their side(s) of your leylandi if you cannot do so without going on to their property/properties. It is your responsibility to do so, not theirs. HTH.

P.S. As above, read up on them and there may be a reason for their presence. I would talk to the neighbours/google the area/visit on different days at different times, especially evening to get a feel for the area. The crime map is your friend. Good luck.

TBagpuss

They are popular for hedges because they grow fast so you can have a hedge (relatively) quickly.
If you trim them regularly to keep them under control they should be OK, although if you get it wrong you can end up with them going bald / brown at the bottom!

It also means that you won't get much else to grow under them.

However, unless the hedge is currently an excessive height so you'd be looking at having to sort it out straight away, they are manageable.

dunroving

I associate Leylandii with ASBOs. They are a very un-neighbourly tree IMO, especially in estates where houses are close to each other. Yes, if trimmed properly they may be OK, but I think most people who have them simply let them grow like weeds.

camptownraces

Before you go any further, have a look at the High Hedges Act, and the Garden Law forum.

Then ask your solicitor to advise you, he won't know the house has this Leylandii hedge unless you tell him.

franklee

Smodlet wrote: »

If you want pretty borders, nothing will grow under leylandi for lack of light and moisture. Vegetables will not enjoy competing with them for same. If all you want is a lawn/courtyard surrounded by a living wall, leave 'em be but trim them back every year.

This. Not too bad in a large garden but tough on the neighbours if gardens are small and the hedge is near the boundary as the problems growing anything near the hedge will apply to the neighbour's garden too. It could be worse for the neighbour if they are on the shady side of the hedge. So may foster bad relations if the neighbour wants to garden.

These days we have so many other choices.

Keep_pedalling

There are many different types of conifers, what makes you think these hedges are laylandii?

Mojisola

Jaffapig wrote: »

Ok so the house I'm hopefully purchasing has a lovely south facing garden which has a thick, neat conifer hedge on it's external sides.

Keep_pedalling wrote: »

There are many different types of conifers, what makes you think these hedges are laylandii?

This ^

There are plenty of conifers which do make an easily-managed hedge.

Don't start worrying until you have identified the type of conifer.

EachPenny

Jaffapig wrote: »

Ok so the house I'm hopefully purchasing has a lovely south facing garden which has a thick, neat conifer hedge on it's external sides.

South facing means the hedges at the side will shade your and the neighbours gardens only in the mornings and evenings. All parts of the garden will get sunshine for part of the day unless there are also monster-sized trees on the southern boundary.

Some people appreciate shade and privacy, so if you do buy this property, don't cut them down without having a chat with the neighbours first. I'm still livid with my neighbour's neighbour for taking their lovely tall hedge down.... it means I can now see my neighbour's neighbour's neighbour's horrible garden, and the road beyond that.