Trimming Cypress tree @ the Fence without loosing privacy much..

sujsuj

I have large Cypress trees (Chamaecyparis lawsoniana) at my Fence they have lots of branches from base and gives good privacy. Its not been cut in last 6+ years. Now its over grown at both sides of fence up to 8 meters!

My neighbour also keen for me to cut them, but since they grown out so much that if I trim them there will not be any privacy as branches at the bottom don'y have any leaves closer to main stem.

See photos, Any tips how can i trim these without loosing much privacy..?

GDB2222

You need to cut them down completely.  You can’t trim them, as they won’t green up again.

Woolsery

GDB2222 said:

You need to cut them down completely.  You can’t trim them, as they won’t green up again.

If they are Cypressus leylandii they won't grow from brown woodas GDB2222 suggests. They look like leylandii, not Western Red Cedar, which are more tolerant of heavy pruning.

Put bluntly, if you neglect leylandii you can't restore them to a fine hedge, but properly cared for they're a good, dense barrier and quite useful for birds nesting.

GDB2222

Sorry. I assumed that they were leylandii. So, please disregard that. 

TELLIT01

You can't cut them back at present unless you check them thoroughly to ensure there are no birds nesting in them.  That said, there could be major stability problems if the neighbour insists on 8 metres of growth being removed where it overhangs their garden.  Whatever you do is likely to reduce the privacy in the garden.

Woolsery

GDB2222 said:

Sorry. I assumed that they were leylandii. So, please disregard that. 

I think they are though. It's always hard to tell from a photo. There's been considerable loss of green bits in places and no sign of re-growth.

GDB2222

The real issue is that most hedges are made of plants that can grow pretty big if left unchecked. We have a privet hedge on one side that is around 12 feet, for example. It’s a constant battle to keep it from getting any bigger. Leylandii is particularly troublesome because it grows so fast, but leaving any hedge for eight years is going to cause a major problem. 

There’s got to be a trade off between privacy and not letting your hedge totally invade and dominate your neighbours' gardens. It looks from the photos like there’s been a breach of the High Hedges Act in this case, so it’s good that the op wants to do something about it. 

twopenny

Pretty sure it's not leylandii butt it's no thing of beauty and will only get worse.
I'd take it down to some 6ft and see what happens. It may shoot multiple stems from the top and you could shape it.
Should be done in autumn when it's not growing and any regrowth will start in spring.
This is making more work though. I'd deal with it autumn, remove it and plant something else so it will double in size for next summer. Variegated privit is easier to deal with. 
Improve the soil before you do. These trees'poison' the soil for other plants

FreeBear

twopenny said:  This is making more work though. I'd deal with it autumn, remove it and plant something else so it will double in size for next summer. Variegated privit is easier to deal with. 
Improve the soil before you do. These trees'poison' the soil for other plants

I would concur - Prune at ground level, get a stump grinder to remove the worst of the root ball, and then dig in plenty of compost. This can be done anytime during the year, so no need to wait until August (unless there are birds nesting). Just don't plant another conifer or laurel. Myrtle makes for a nice dense hedge, and is fairly slow growing. Might take too long to get to the height you want though..

Woolsery

FreeBear said:

twopenny said:  This is making more work though. I'd deal with it autumn, remove it and plant something else so it will double in size for next summer. Variegated privit is easier to deal with. 
Improve the soil before you do. These trees'poison' the soil for other plants

Myrtle makes for a nice dense hedge, and is fairly slow growing. Might take too long to get to the height you want though..

I agree about myrtle being slow, but it's not reliably hardy throughout the UK and hates exposure, so it's not typically sold as hedging.

FreeBear

Woolsery said:

FreeBear said:

twopenny said:  This is making more work though. I'd deal with it autumn, remove it and plant something else so it will double in size for next summer. Variegated privit is easier to deal with. 
Improve the soil before you do. These trees'poison' the soil for other plants

Myrtle makes for a nice dense hedge, and is fairly slow growing. Might take too long to get to the height you want though..

I agree about myrtle being slow, but it's not reliably hardy throughout the UK and hates exposure, so it's not typically sold as hedging.

Seems to be thriving as a front hedge here. But then I'm in the East of England, so don't get the worst of the cold weather. That said, it has survived some -10°C frosts.