Wednesday 2 October 2013

Rambling on . . .Leylandii nightmare . . . Going, going, gone . . .

A couple of weeks ago my neighbour told me that they had decided to cut down the Leylandii at the bottom of the garden.  It has to be at least 200 feet high.  It is planted in the corner and overhangs my garden by 10 feet or more.  It shades my raised veg  beds and stops them getting any rain, which means I can’t plant anything towards the back of the bed, and it sheds dead needles all year round. 

I almost jumped for joy when she told me but practised a little restraint – when I really wanted to say ‘goody goody gumdrops’ or words to that effect.  The only thing I will miss it for is the shade it affords when I sit on my garden bench in the summer admiring my vegetables – other than that it serves no useful purpose as far as I can see – and I say ‘good riddance’.

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Going

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Going

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Gone

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Whew – thank goodness for that!

Sorry pigeons – you’ll just have to find somewhere else to roost.

24 comments:

  1. excellent news for you Elaine and a kindly neighbour those trees are a blot on the landscape along with wind farms

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  2. So much better, and look at that view now! x

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  3. That looks so much better... now you have a lovely view and your vegetables will like it too! :o)
    Julie

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  4. Oh lucky you Elaine. I wish my neighbours would take the hint too and get rid of the twenty or so that line the bottom of my very small garden as per my post a few weeks ago. It looks so bright now in your garden. We can't see the sky from the rear of our house so I'm pretty envious!
    Patricia x

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  5. Brilliant, you have so much more light now, and what a nice view too :-)

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  6. What a difference...and what a relief! I have a 60 footer in my back garden which overhangs my veggie patch in my front garden and I have to have that taken down in a few weeks as it's dying and now moves in a terrifying, scary way. I'm dreading the mess.xxxx

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  7. Sure changed the view. We hate to cut down trees, but sometimes they just have to go. We cut down a Russian olive at the back of the patio. Can' so that I miss it at all. Your garden will flourish.

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  8. Trees like that not only block the light but take up vast amounts of water from the ground around so I'm not surprised that you're glad to see it gone. Flighty xx

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  9. We once had leylandii planted in our neighbour's garden which shaded oursand the amount of light that was let in when they were felled was amazing.

    We also have a row along one edge of our allotment site. These were cut back as they were interfering with cables but will no doubt regrow. Fortunately we are in the middle of the site but in winter when the sun is low it still shades part of our plot. Often there is a frost line where the sun hasn't reached.

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  10. The leylandii can be such a nuisance, it looks so much better for you and will help your vegetable patch too.. Our next door neighbour but one kept cutting his down, bu they kept growing back. He eventually took them down in the summer and our outlook is so much better now. Sarah x

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  11. That is a good riddance, everything will grow much better in the back of your garden. And you have a view now...., much better.

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  12. Mine is two feet tall but I will take warning and regard it as a menace in the making. I'm glad the monster is gone.

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  13. Oh, how fantastic! I'd have bee dancing a jig as it came down myself.

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  14. Wow! You can see the sky!
    Enjoy :)

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  15. So much better. I wonder what's going to replace it. Something pretty I hope - perhaps it will cast a dappled shade for you to sit in.

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  16. Those leylandii can really get out of control although it probably provided a bit of a wind break? Looks much better without it. More sun for your plants too.

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  17. Don't understand why people plant those pesky things. Fantastic that they've cut it. Enjoy all the extra light and less watering of your veg too.

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  18. It all looks so much better without that leylandii. We inherited some leylandii that we've had to keep for security around a small part of our border. I wish we could replace them but we have had thieves enter our site and a replacement mixed hedge would take too long to grow there. So the leylandii will have to stay as part of our barrier. We're always having to manage them and make sure they don't become monsters!

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  19. What a difference that made and your 'goody goody gumdrops' brought a smile :)

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  20. A lucky escape, Elaine! There's nothing wrong with a Leylandii - if you're planting the gardens of a country estate! So many people plonk trees (and shrubs!) of all descriptions into their gardens without researching the ultimate height that the plant will achieve. If you find yourself missing the shade when on your garden bench in the summer, why not plant an apple tree on dwarfing rootstock? Although I'm sure you've got plenty of fruit already :)

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  21. Hoorah! So lovely to reclaim so much light.

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