Help identifying hedge

ladymint
ladymint Posts: 25 Forumite
edited 12 July 2017 at 2:15PM in In my home (includes DIY) MoneySaving
Hi,

I saw this hedge today and loved it. Do you have any idea what type of conifer it is? Please see images in links below.

Many thanks in advance for your help!

https://www.dropbox.com/s/gaoak74zeitoizm/Conifer1.jpg?dl=0

https://www.dropbox.com/s/aantrhdi24gptgu/Conifer2.jpg?dl=0
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Comments

  • Denene
    Denene Posts: 131 Forumite
    Some kind of cypress - possibly Leylandii? It's quite popular for hedging
  • Aylesbury_Duck
    Aylesbury_Duck Posts: 13,989 Forumite
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    It might look attractive now but take a look at the woody stumps behind it to see what it will eventually look like...
  • andrewf75
    andrewf75 Posts: 10,421 Forumite
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    Not often you hear someone say they love a leylandii hedge! They were popular decades ago, now people are extremely wary of them and rightly so.
  • ladymint
    ladymint Posts: 25 Forumite
    edited 12 July 2017 at 4:18PM
    Thank you all for your posts.

    Well, I suspected it was leylandii but it looks much nicer than all other leylandii hedges I've seen so far. It looks completely different from the one at the back, which is darker. Its colour is what I'm used to see in young conifers but this one is already well established. Any idea what type of leylandii this might be?

    andrewf75: I'm ok with leylandii. I know that they grow wild by I will be keeping it under control.
  • Mojisola
    Mojisola Posts: 35,557 Forumite
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    ladymint wrote: »
    Any idea what type of leylandii this might be?

    I'm ok with leylandii. I know that they grow wild by I will be keeping it under control.

    Good luck getting anyone to identify different Leylandii.

    The hybrids are all the result of crosses between Monterey cypress and Nootka cypress.

    You'll have your work cut out keeping them cut back - they can easily put on a metre of growth every year.
  • Aylesbury_Duck
    Aylesbury_Duck Posts: 13,989 Forumite
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    Mojisola wrote: »
    You'll have your work cut out keeping them cut back - they can easily put on a metre of growth every year.
    Yes, and they never look great when they are cut back. I've inherited them in three successive houses and in the last two, ended up removing them completely because they grew upwards and outwards at a terrific rate, ruining the grass and fences beneath them. My attempts to control them resulted in bleak, woody holes and the complete loss of the conical shape.
  • Grenage
    Grenage Posts: 2,899 Forumite
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    Leylandii can make excellent hedging plants, but they're very high maintenance.
  • TheCyclingProgrammer
    TheCyclingProgrammer Posts: 3,702 Forumite
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    Leylandii - don't get them, there are much better hedging options. We have a line of leylandii (a mixture of different types) lining the driveway to the side of our house - about a dozen of them about 3m tall. It cost us £500 to have the whole lot trimmed and reduced in height back in Spring. I'll be investing in a decent pole hedge trimmer so I can keep them tidy myself from now on!

    The problem with them is you can't let them get away from you - if they grow too tall you need to reduce their height in stages and they won't look great once the tops are lopped off. If they grow out too much at the sides you can only cut them back as far as the green growth - if you cut back to dead wood it will never grow back. They can also get aphids and are susceptible to frost damage.

    On the plus side the disguise a horrible old fence and can look quite tidy once trimmed but we'll have to constantly maintain them. Their roots also grow very near to the surface, drying out the soil and severely limiting your options for underplanting. If it wasn't such a long run, I'd be seriously contemplating removing them and replacing with something else.

    Maybe consider something like laurel?

    https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=laurel+hedging&safe=off&client=safari&rls=en&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiJu4C_lYTVAhWKJ8AKHZIOAlsQ_AUICygC&biw=1526&bih=885

    Or if you really like the Leylandii look, perhaps consider Thuja instead:
    https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=thuja+hedging&safe=off&client=safari&rls=en&tbm=isch&source=lnms&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjfvJnylYTVAhXkAcAKHR65A0UQ_AUIyAEoAQ&biw=1526&bih=885
  • Aylesbury_Duck
    Aylesbury_Duck Posts: 13,989 Forumite
    First Anniversary First Post Name Dropper
    Another vote for laurel. It makes a really attractive hedge. It does take a bit of control because it grows outwards, the foliage isn't very deep and if you're not careful when trimming it it can be a bit patchy for a while. The dried leaves burn really well and make an excellent bonfire-catalyst!
  • tiz
    tiz Posts: 107 Forumite
    Thuja maybe - they are brighter green than Leylandii and will regrow after pruning.
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