Ednews wrote in
. uk:

So my questions are -

(1) For a new gardener is it foolhardy to think "Those trees are no
problem - we'll just dug 'em up!"?;

Depends how much else you've got to do. I got someone in - it took half
a day and was no effort at all.

(2) How does one do that?!;

I got a man with a chainsaw to come and take all mine away. We'd just
moved in too, and had enough to do without wrestling with the leylandii
as well.

He left the stumps at ground level, which I covered in a layer of manure
and other mulch, and then just planted stuff round them. In theory I
should have got honey fungus and all sorts of awful things: in practice
they rotted away nicely and a year on my new borders were already
looking good.

Occasionally you would try to plunge a spade in and get a bone-jarring
'thump' as it hit root, but already after 3 years the wood was rotten
enough that this had mostly stopped happening.


(3) is it expensive?; and

Can't remember how much it cost, but it wasn't a vast sum given the
number of trees - couple of hundred quid I think? If you get someone
in, make sure you specify that whoever does it takes everything away
afterwards so you don't spend the next 3 years burning or shredding.

Mine were about 15-20 foot tall I think - if yours are much bigger, it
will cost more.


(4) overall should we be put off by the garden?

If the Leylandii are all that is wrong with it, go for it. Leylandii
are very easy to remove and replace, and don't regrow from roots.

Sacha's point about the windbreak is a good one though. I would have a
word with the neighbours, if you can catch them in. If the area is very
windy, they will know. If the hedges are there because the neighbours
are absolutely awful and the current inhabitants can't stand them, then
best find that out too.

Sound them out about removing/replacing the Leylandii too - no point
you cutting yours down, only to find that the people next door liked the
privacy, and promply plant their own.

Though if the current owners have put up Leylandii to screen off their
neighbours, don't assume you'll want to do the same thing. That's why
our huge Leylandii hedge was there, but we found the neighbours hidden
behind it were lovely people: they just hadn't hit it off with our
predecessors, who were very anti-child, anti-dog, and anti-cat.

Victoria