Leyland Cypress Hedge Plants

Fast Growing Evergreen Leylandii Hedge Plants

Delivered by Mail Order Direct from our Nursery with a Year Guarantee

Leylandii, × Cuprocyparis (or Cupressocyparis) leylandii, is the world's most vigorous coniferous tree.
To achieve privacy for a garden or large scale operation within a couple of years, plant a Leylandii Cypress hedge!

Its shaggy fronds of bright evergreen foliage have a softness not found amongst most conifers. 

Left to become a mature tree, Leylandii will reach 40m in forty years and has an elegant, columnar shape that tapers towards the top. However, it is mainly grown as a hedge or screen. 

Features

• Height: up to 40m
• Spread: 2 m
• Colour: bright, matt green
• Spacing: 60-150cm
• Foliage: soft evergreen fronds
• Fastest-growing formal hedge - requires regular trimming

You cannot fail to have a wonderful hedge quickly using Leylandii cypress that will cut out noise and light disturbance from roads or neighbours. It makes an effective break from prevailing winds allowing you to plant more tender plants in your protected garden and will screen ugly buildings. It is also a quick solution to creating different 'rooms' in your garden so you can have areas of contrasting atmosphere and planting.

Browse other formal hedge plants, evergreen hedge plants, or all hedging.

Growing Leylandii 

It will thrive in almost any soil, immune to pollution, sturdy in and sea winds.

The spacing is dictated by your desired height. For an easily maintained 3-4m tall hedge, plant them close together at 60cm apart. Plant them further apart if you are growing them tall to screen out a large building.  

You must clip hedge twice a year to keep it under control. If you can do this, you will keep your Leylandii at a manageable and practical height that will not involve the added expense of special equipment or tree surgeons. If you let the regime slip, it is almost impossible to regain the shape you wanted, and the taller it gets, the harder it is to clip.
If you need an evergreen hedge that is easier to control, consider using Yew instead.

Leylandii is delivered pot-grown all the year round and is best planted in early to mid-spring.

They are pest and disease free; stressed trees can develop bacterial cankers when they are cut back too hard or dry out in summer. 

Growing Leylandii:
Leylandii will grow well in most well drained soils. It is suitable for exposed, windy sites near the sea but it needs close to full sun. Shaded areas of the plant lose their leaves, which will not regrow.

Prepare your site before planting:
Leylandii's fast growth puts a strain on the soil around it, so we strongly recommend improving the groundl in advance of planting day. Destroy the weeds firs. Then dig the soil over; remove rocks, roots and other rubbish. Mix in well rotted compost or manure. If your soil is rich, you don't have to dig it over, but killing all the weeds is still necessary.

Watch our video on how to plant a garden hedge for full details. The plants in this video are delivered pot-grown, but planting out bareroot stock is essentially the same.
Remember to water establishing plants during dry weather for at least a year after planting. 
You will also need to weed around the plants. Watering should be thorough, so the ground is soaked. Let the soil almost dry out before watering again. Watering & weeding will be necessary for at least a year after planting.
Like all evergreen plants, Leylandii is active and needs moisture in the ground throughout the year. This means that your establishing plants need to be watered in the winter when they are planted, if the weather is dry.

Hedge Planting Accessories:
Prepare your site for planting by killing the weeds and grass.
We recommend using Rootgrow whenever you plant trees & shrubs.

Trimming Leylandii:
Contrary to some popular opinions, clipping Leylandii twice a year will keep it neatly in check and there is no reason why you can't keep your hedge fairly short, as long as you never miss a clip. Problems only start when Leylandii gets neglected. Because it won't regrow from old wood, it is nearly impossible to reduce its height or width without ending up with ugly brown leafless patches. Stay on top of your trimming routine and all will be well!

Take care when you are clipping your hedge. Leylandii is not forgiving of mistakes and cutting off too much will leave you with bald patches.

Special notes on caring for Leylandii hedges:
Leylandii is a very tough hedge plant that shouldn't need special attention. To keep the soil around it nice and fertile, mulch around the base of the plants each year with well rotted manure or compost.

Hygiene & Diseases:
Dead, damaged or diseased wood can be pruned off as soon as it appears.
Disinfect your pruning tools between every cut if there is any sign of disease.
Burn or dispose of any diseased material, do not compost it.

Did You Know?

Leylandii was created accidentally: the two American species of Cypress (Chamaecyparis nootkatensis and Cupressus macrocarpa) cross-fertilised in Wales, and the consequent hybrid was recorded in 1888 by CJ Leyland. The resulting tree was propagated by clones. By 1911, when more were discovered, it was clearly a special tree, with high-quality structural timber, attractive commercially. 

The Law of the Leylandii

Leylandii can grow a metre a year - almost unheard of for conifers, except the giant redwoods. This phenomenal growth engendered a new law: The High Hedges Act, drawn up to give people legal recourse against neighbours who let their Leylandii get out of hand.
The law applies to any evergreen hedge over two metres, but it became necessary when Leylandii became popular!

Older sources may list is as Callitropsis × leylandii.