Leylandii is a wonderful evergreen solid hedge, but....

You have to decide in advance how high you want it and once it reaches that
height trim it ruthlessly at least once a year. The trimmings have a
wonderful
smell when they are burned. You'll need a powered hedge trimmer if you've
got a fair length of hedge. It also absorbs sound well.

It doesn't stop growing. The trunks will continue to get thicker. If
untrimmed
L will reach 60m I believe. I saw a mockup of a suburb where the real
Ls in the starting picture were modelled growing for 50 years. It was like
the Redwood forests in the states.

I don't think that it is deep-rooted. High Ls blow over in high winds where
I
live, on very light soil. I think that means they are no risk to drains.
They do
dry the ground but being evergreen I guess will not cause subsidence. Anyone
know better?

Peter Scott
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"Frank Watson " wrote in message
...


The fact is, about 10 years ago, I planted a Leylandii hedge about 3.5
mtrs from myhouse a few years ago. The assistant in the shop where I
bought them, misled me into thinking that if I "nipped the tops out"
when they reached the height I desired, they would not grow any more!
Having seen how fast they grow, and presumably the roots too, I'm
getting concerned that the roots could weaken my house's foundations
and drains. The house was built in 1899 using lime mortar and
presumably with a brick foundation. I'm thinking of chopping them all
down before the roots can spread any further. The hedge is now about
12 feet tall, and that's after having been pruned down a couple of
times.

Should I cut them all down? Would privet cause less of a danger to the
house and drains?

Thanks for any advice.

Frank