Lecher9000 wrote:
: Hi,

: I've decided on Leyland Cypress as a tall "living fence" privacy
: screen. I've noticed there are about 3 main varieties : green, blue, and
: yellow. Looks to me like the blue and green varieties are the most dense and
: best at screening completely.

: Another concern is whether I can trust the picture of the mature tree that
: is attached to it, regarding how full the tree gets (having no holes to see
: through).

: Anyone have any advice / experiences with their Leyland Cypress to
: relate ?

They will get very big, very fast. If you want to maintain them as a high
hedge, they take considerable maintenance. Left unchecked and in a
favorable climate, they grow huge, shading gardens, darkening horizons.
They can end up making life gloomier fo you and possibly for your
neighbors. Drive around town a look at the number of houses darkened by
overgrown evergreens. There, but for the grace of regular hedge-trimming,
go you in 10 years.

Before you plant any hedge, make sure you have sufficient space,
especially width and overhead clearance. If you are planning to maintain
it at a certain height, get a realistic idea of the maintenance
requirements. Not everyone can manage their own tall hedge that requires
working on a ladder with power tools, so you may need to budget for annual
maintenance. Neglecting a high maintenance hedge does make it low
maintenance but it's better to choose a plants for a low-maintenance
hedge in the first place.

With Leyland Cypress and others screening plants that eventually get very
tall, make sure you are planting well away from residences. Look ahead
10-15 years, will you eventually be shading your own house and garden
space and/or that of your neighbors? Keep in mind that any hedge on a
boundary between properties will add a burden of hedge maintenance for
your neighbors, too.

-- Karen

The Garden Gate http://garden-gate.prairienet.org
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