Horrible huge leylandi hedges...

[kathyd]

Hi. We have 2 huge leylandi-type hedges running along 2 sides of our front garden, and ideally we'd like to remove them and replace them with something else.

We're anticipating paying someone vast amounts of money to cut them down and take them away, but not sure what we do about the roots - is it realistic to have them dug out with a digger?

What do we then need to do to get the ground fit for new plants? Is filling the holes with compost enough, or will it need more TLC than that? How soon would we be able to re-plant after removing them?

Thx

[lottie dolly]

I think am right in saying the ground would be accidic,ref size of roots,have a google,there is most likely acid loving things to plant,as in shrubs,again have a google,i bet an expert will be here as am typing,good luck with them,we felled 4 in our garden a few years ago,not to grow in,but put sheds on,the neighbours were well chuffe,as they had light in their gardens several properties up the road,they were so high,

[Capsid]

I have removed around 30 that were about 8 foot high by hand, it's not so hard but it is dirty work. I used a lopper and or hand saw (one of the sharp ones that Ray Mears used and that cuts the branches very easily) removed all the side branches and then the same hand saw to cut them off at the base. And that's how I left them, the roots will eventually rot away.

I guess it depends on how big your trees are, mine were only about 4" in diameter.

I got rid of the trees by shredding and composting them. The main stems were cut up and some neighbours used them to burn or I made a log pile (if you have room).

I've just planted around the roots, and have grown some lovely runner beans where they were with some added compost.

[rustylady]

Hi. We have 2 huge leylandi-type hedges running along 2 sides of our front garden, and ideally we'd like to remove them and replace them with something else.

We're anticipating paying someone vast amounts of money to cut them down and take them away, but not sure what we do about the roots - is it realistic to have them dug out with a digger?

What do we then need to do to get the ground fit for new plants? Is filling the holes with compost enough, or will it need more TLC than that? How soon would we be able to re-plant after removing them?

Thx

How tall are they, and how thick? Would it be realistic to do it yourself?

[Two_Sheds]

How tall are they..?

[Snadger]

I remember that news article. Next door neighbours were well happy.

On a positive note................Lleylandi timber burns well in a woodburner.

[Pumpkin Becki]

Our neighbours have monsterous Leylandii trees on our shared boundry. They shed needles constantly, and the ground underneath is so acidic that hardly anything grows happily. I think you'll have to take out a decent trench of the soil (it'll be pretty dead), and replace it with a mix of topsoil, compost and manure. That should give you a good structure for your new plants.

[Aberdeenplotter]

the good news if there is any at all is that that the roots of conifers are fairly shallow and if you do employ someone with a JCB, that part of the work won't be that extensive. When you have the digger on site, get the operator to give the soil a good shake up/spread about and have him level the soil before he leaves. If you are spending mega bucks, spend a few quid more and have a soil analysis done and ask for recommendations for treatment to bring the soil to a standard that will support whatever you intend growing. If the soil is acid, lime will bring it to a more suitable ph . Just flinging lime on may well remedy the situation but if you use that method,it will be a bit hit and miss,probably miss.

[Glutton4...]

We cleared a 50+ metre run of them, for my Dad, a couple of years ago. They were around 4 metres high, and the branches had grown so that they reached over 3 metres wide, in places.

We started one end, with a chainsaw, and took all the branches off, loading everything directly on to a waiting trailer, and carted it away to be burned. It was a long, and messy job, but we did it in stages over several weekends and evenings, just pacing ourselves and doing a few trees at a time.

The trunks were all left in place, and cut to just above 2 metres high, then horizontal timbers were nailed/screwed directly on to them. Vertical Pales were nailed to these, making a close-boarded fence that looks lovely from the road side.

The inside was raked clear (and there was loads!), and various shrubs were planted, in effect extending the border up to the fence. Climbers have been planted, to soften the effect, and the ground-cover is gradually taking hold, now that the light can get to it.

It now looks much neater, and visibility for motorists has improved, too. The only down side is that the hundreds of Birds that had colonised it for years, had to move to the hedge on the opposite side of the road, but they didn't seem to mind, as they still had access to the feeding station that my Folks have in the front garden.

My only advice is to tackle the job in manageable chunks, don't try and do it all in one go. Also, there will be much more debris than you expect.

Good luck!

[VirginVegGrower]

We had a high number planted up the side of our garages that were over twenty feet in height. Chainsaw was taken to them and then we had two old boys in with a rather archaic looking tree root puller, which did the job. The whole lot became firewood for most of the year. I have other items growing along there now. They settled in and put down roots just fine - not acidic loving either.

[tamsin]

We had some removed a couple of years ago, they took all the branches off, leaving the trunks, then used straps with a lever thingy to crank them tighter and used each one as anchor to pull the next one along over. There were still some roots left in the ground but a lot less than if they'd cut them off at the base.

[chris]

and here is me planning on planting some !

[zazen999]

and here is me planning on planting some !

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo


Edible Hedging Mix (18 plants) : Pomona Fruits, Buy Fruit Trees, Soft Fruit Bushes, Apple Trees, Raspberry Canes, Grape Vines, Strawberry Plants

[kathyd]

Hi all - thanks for all the comments . Not been able to get on the forum for a day or two, so what a lovely surprise!

The trees are probably around 10-12 feet now - we had them lopped a couple of years ago, they were nearly twice that to start with. Each row is around 20m long, and the hedge must be 6 feet wide or more. We have this type of tree all over the place (specimens and another hedge...), and have started cutting one large one down gradually, but unfortunately OH has severe detached retina stuff going on now, and is in the middle of operations and can't see properly, and isn't allowed to move around much or do anything vibratory (!!), so no way we can tackle the hedges ourselves at the moment. He's also allergic to them, so we're quite resigned to the cost of removal if it means we can improve the garden and simplify future maintenance ready for when we're totally old and knackered, and not just well on the way .

I agree the current soil will be 'dead' and acidic, and we're hoping to use soil from excavating a big pond to fill in whatever trenches are left after the roots have been removed. I was expecting the roots to be huge, so good to hear they may not be . We'll ask the guy who'll digger the pond if he fancies diggering the roots out too then.

We'll replace them with a mixed border / hedge thingy - we're not really overlooked, and it'd be nice to see a bit more of the view. So mixed evergreen and deciduous shrubs, and some perennials probably.

In terms of disposal, I think we'll have to see if we can find someone to shred them and take them away.. sad, but realistically our little electric noddy one won't hack it, and there'll be a humungous mountain from the number of trees involved. I doubt we'll even try to keep the wood for the burner, given we have a barn with a roof that's fallen in and all the wood from the roof is still waiting to be sorted and chopped - will probably take months! - and now on hold until eye probs sorted out. Yes, chaos all round . I've just got to the point where I need to see a bit of progress in the front garden for the sake of my sanity, even at the expense of paying someone to take away perfectly usable chippings and wood!

[VirginVegGrower]

and here is me planning on planting some !

I echo Zaz! Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!