On Mon, 7 Apr 2003 08:26:23 +0000 (UTC), "Darren Perrett"
(nospam) wrote:

I currently have 16 leylandi...

I am thinking about replacing them with a new hedge but will require
someting that will grow to around 12` to block the commercial units I will
be able to see. I don`t mind if it will be slow growing as long as it covers
eventually.
Any Ideas ?

Thuja occidentalis 'Smaragd', also sold as 'Emerald Green' and
'Emerald'. I can't vouch for its performance in your climate, but
around here it makes an excellent narrow hedge, topping out at
about the 12' mark. Not excessively slow, but neither is it super
fast.

Mature plants are about 3' in diameter, so put these 2-3 feet
away from your property line.

There's another fastigiate thuja 'Pyramidalis' which is very
similar but tops out at about 18'. 'Pyramidalis' has the drawback
that it fruits to some extent, so its appearance is slightly
marred. 'Smaragd' is free of this defect, and is also a brighter
green.

'Pyramidalis' might be a better choice because it will reach the
12' mark sooner and can be kept at that height reasonably easily.
'Pyramidalis' makes a little thicker hedge, 4-5' thick, and if
left to its own devices, seems to last about 35 years before it
goes sensescent and needs replacement.

One curious thing: I cannot find 'Pyramidalis' listed in the
Plant Finder, yet it is *very* common here.


--
Rodger Whitlock
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada