wrote in message
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In article , Juco
writes
I have a Leylandi hedge which I keep to about 2 metres high, but
over the
years it has slowly increased in width (about 4 feet) I would like
to reduce
the width but realise this will take the greenery away, Question
is... will
it recover the greenery in a slimmer format and if so how long
would this
take.

From experience (which is rare amongst the Leylandii knockers) you
can
get away with it so far, some of the ones that you see where they
have
been cut right back to the trunk stand no chance at all of regrowing
but
you can trim back a fair way and still get growth. I have cut back a
neighbours 25 footers to 10' and they carried on like nothing had
happened, my current next door neighbour reduced the size of his
hedge
from 6' to 3', realised he had made a mistake and let them grow to
5'again which they have done quite happily. I've reduced the
thickness
of mine a couple of times with no ill effect but I have not cut back
too
close to the centre, try cutting back say 6" from either side and
see
how that goes

...... and I will second that!
When we gave shelter to our homeless daughter, part of her
accoutrements turned out to be three goats. These quickly became five
goats. And I was to learn that while sheep graze, goats browse - up to
five feet high! The effect on the leylandii was, well devastating. The
goats didn't get back to the trunk but devoured all the greenery
within reach. It took two years for the hedge to recover but it is now
as good as (maybe better than) new.

--
ned
http://www.bugsandweeds.co.uk