Leylandii Cypress Trees - Leyland Evergreens

The Leylandii are evergreen trees of the cypress family. They are referenced also as the Leyland cypress (named after Christopher Leyland who was a horticulturist from the UK). The Leylandii are fast growing trees which provide shelter quickly especially in new homesteads. The key thing with these trees is to keep them from getting too big and this means pruning them during the wintertime or in the very early spring. Once they are established you can hack away at them anytime and they will still come back fighting. They are the most robust of trees, requiring very little garden maintenance, and are ideally suited to large plots of land. They are quite happy to grow in full sunlight thus providing shade for other trees and plants, whilst enhancing the garden decor.

Expect your tree to grow to 65 or 70 feet high and the base will then have a spread of 12 to 15 feet so you should bear this in mind when planting them. It is important to consider your neighbors (if any) as these trees can cast a long shadow and could darken a garden that once had a sunny aspect. You do need to top them if you wish to keep them at a lower height but these trees grow rapidly out of hand if you are not vigilant enough. You may even have to cut the trees down if they encroach upon your property or yard. However, if they are planted closely together the Leylandii can be used as hedge plants.

Environmental privacy

The Leylandii are good environmentally as they can block out unwanted traffic noise and pollution. Air pollution is reduced by evergreen trees such as Leylandii, which do not need any fertilizer to encourage growth as they will, of their accord, grow at a rate of 4 to 5 feet per year. Ideally, you should plant these trees to the north side of your property to lessen the effect of biting winds, especially in Wintertime. Other species of evergreen trees are Pines, Conifers, Eucalyptus, Fir and the Holly tree.

How the evergreens work efficiently

Evergreen trees do lose leaves but they grow new foliage all the time too, resulting in a year round, green looking, tree. The rate at which this happens varies from one evergreen tree type to another but the visual effect is the same. The permanent leafiness protects the tree from sun and frost alike.

Complimentary trees for the Leylandii

Flowering trees are beautiful with many colors (white pinks and yellow) to contrast against the wide expanse of dark olive colored branches of the Leylandii. These trees are generally slower to grow but will benefit from the shelter provided by the gigantic Leylandii. A dogwood (the fastest growing flowering tree) would be my choice of tree to compliment and enliven the backdrop of Leylandii surrounding the property. The dogwood will grow to just above the height of a normal home.

Beautiful dogwoods

A pink dogwood would cost just under $50 and a single young Leylandii would be $15. The combination of the two leads to a stunning vista. They do require management as their growing rate varies so much. The flowering dogwood trees can be bought at the same time as the Leylandii which will outgrow the dogwood easily, necessitating some forward planning..