What to do about Leland cypresses?
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Anonymous
Tell Merrifield Gardens that 
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Anonymous
Interesting. I have found the exact opposite. Usually people who do know anything about trees are not the ones looking to be rid of them. My neighbors who grew up in the desert (Arizona, etc.) are the first to clear cut their properties. Not very rational. |
Anonymous
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OP is well-advised to remove the Leylands and go with a mixed hedge, despite the feedback from the Leyland loyalists.
The trouble with Leylands is their very shallow root system, their susceptibility to Seiridium canker (http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/pp/notes/Ornamental/odin17/od17.htm) and the tendency for the lower branches to thin out over time. The National Arboretum advises against planting Leylands, but what do they know? http://www.usna.usda.gov/Gardens/faqs/GoodHedges.html |
Anonymous
I love mine too but they are dying. Every expert I talk to says they are disease prone and it would be a waste to replant the same thing. Arborvitae are being recommended to us. Anyone have experience with those? |
Anonymous
I know deer love to eat them, so don't use if deer get into your yard. http://www.pennlive.com/gardening/2015/04/deer_have_stripped_the_yews_an.html |
Anonymous
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Anyone in Mont County know the going rate for cutting down a few Leyland cypresses?
And for planting a few new ones? I'm half tempted to do it myself.... shallow roots as well. |
Anonymous
We love our neighbor’s L cypresses. Out tree lady told us no one on the area was putting those in anymore because they didn’t do well during snowmageddon. We got a mix, way more expensive, and now watch our neighbor’s 5 gallon bucket Costco LC’s shooting up past ours. And much greener too. |
Anonymous
| We planted Green Giant Arborvitae from Musser forests website. They were whips when we planted 5 years ago, now they are 10 feet tall. |
Anonymous
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I'm a big fan of Adrian Higgins, as another poster already referenced. His book, The Washington Post Garden Book: The Ultimate Guide to Gardening in Greater Washington and the Mid-Atlantic Region, is my go-to book whenever I am faced with dilemmas like the OP. https://www.amazon.com/Washington-Post-Garden-Book-Mid-Atlantic/dp/0962597155/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1516747712&sr=8-2&keywords=adrian+higgins+washington
His recommended conifers include: Serbian Spruce, Oriental Spruce, Lacebark Pine, Japanese Black Pine, Canadian Hemlock, Blue Atlas Cedar, and Hinoki Falsecypress. You can also read some of this articles online. https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/home/finding-the-perfect-conifer/2012/11/19/09010060-2eab-11e2-89d4-040c9330702a_story.html?utm_term=.075e9744bba0 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/12/20/AR2010122004936.html He chose a Himalayan pine for his own garden. |
Anonymous
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A couple thoughts on reviving older trees. I honestly don't know too much about it but I've heard about "vertical mulching." If you google it you can see it on youtube. Basically you aerate some of the soil around the tree roots which helps them get air/water/nutrients. This seems like a DIY project even and might be worth a shot before cutting trees down.
Leylands aren't great but I'm not convinced they're the worst either. I think western arborvitae (like green giants) are better as are cryptomeria and hollies. The positive about LC is they grow VERY fast like GG's. Hollies grow a little slower so you have to be patient but they can tolerate shade. If you don't need very high screening skip laurels are nice too. |
Anonymous
| Suggest green giant arborvitae. They look similar but are much better and healthier trees. |
Anonymous
This book was published in 1998 (unless there's a more up-to-date edition than the one you linked). The problem is, you really can't rely on tree selection advice from 20 years ago in our new normal of global warming and invasive/non-native pest species. For example, I would never plant a hemlock -- great trees, but between the wooly adelgid (non-native pest) and warmer winters, a lot of our hemlocks aren't doing very well. This book was also published before the awareness of the importance of planting native trees and native species more generally over non-native ornamentals, both because of better adaptation to our climate (although they have to be chosen with changing climatic conditions in mind) and the importance of supporting native species of insects (and therefore birds and other animals) rather than contributing to the ongoing loss of biodiversity that the old-fashioned focus on ornamental species from anywhere in the world has led to. I'm a big fan of hollies myself, especially for the evergreen aspect. |
Anonymous
NP. He was, however, right on in his disdain for the Leyland Cypress! That advice still holds especially in view of what you are saying about choosing native species. |
Anonymous
Depends on the sub species. |