wrote in message
oups.com...
We've got a row of conifers at the end of our garden, closely abutted
and fairly thick, but they're really tall (15ft+) and leggy.

Can anyone tell me what I need to do in order to turn my tall, messy,
leggy conifers into a lower, more compact hedge?

Sorry, don't know what species/variety they are. Definitely NOT
leylandii though.

Thanks so much

David


In the absence of a positive ID, cut a small section quite hard and wait and
see if you get regrowth, if you do, fine go ahead and cut the rest back to
about 9" smaller all round than you want the hedge and wait 2-3 years for it
to look presentable again, cutting the regrowth to keep it bushy.
If it does not regrow (and I suspect it wont) cut it right down and start
again having removed the stumps. choose something with a good track record
of being cut hard but still looking good - like yew, beech, hornbeam, avoid
privet and escallonia if you are not keen on regular hedge cutting!

--
Charlie, gardening in Cornwall.
http://www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of National Plant Collections of Clematis viticella (cvs) and
Lapageria rosea