AIBU to replace leylandii hedge with fencing?

[insomniaclife]

I love my garden it’s private and green and beautiful.

but … it has a 125m leylandii hedge, about 7 foot tall and a meter wide, down both sides. My neighbour side (semi detached) we agree we want to keep the hedge as it’s sound proofing is useful and it’s only about 90 m long.
the other side is small area of allotments with only a couple of allotment owners and v quiet and pretty area.

AIBU to want to replace that long hedge? I’m sick of paying to have the cut back twice a year. It’s making my garden dry. It contributes nothing to wildlife. It’s eaten up about half a meter - two feet - of my garden boundary.

BUT it’s green, and frames my garden nicely. And fences are so boxy, so rigid …
im so undecided! It’ll cost about 10k for
hedge removal and fence installation. I’ll also need to put in new beds and improve the soil by the new fence area to get climbers and shrubs going to hide the fence.

Following with interest as we have a similar issue. Our hedge is not leylandi though but is 10 feet tall. There is a public footpath and fields beyond and it does protect us from prevailing SW winds and gives privacy and security but, as you say, takes so much moisture and goodness from the soil, I have trouble getting things to grow next to it.

First thing I did when I moved in was cut down the leylandii. I gained 2m of garden either side.

if you want a barrier, a fence works just fine.

We are hedged in by our neighbours horrible leylandii (our garden is much smaller than theirs). It’s good for some wildlife but it drives me mad because of how much it saps the goodness out of my borders. We have fence on our side, painted slate colour to disappear, and covered with lovely evergreen climbers that flower in spring and add scent. So it isn’t choosing between a non-green fence and the hedge. I’m team fence!

I'd replace with something much better for wildlife, you could either fence and put fruit trees along or regedge with something much more attractive like beech or hawthorn.

There are so many more attractive and beneficial options.

Absolutely remove and either fence and cover with climbing plants or a different hedge.
Grew up with a horrible leyllandi hedge which stripped so much light and nutrients from the garden.
Took out huge number of leylandii at current home - mixture of solutions for replacing but so much better - lighter and not having to cut it back!

I’d definitely get rid of the leylandii. I’d prefer a fence with climbers or have a lovely hawthorn hedge. The birds love that. If you’re starting from scratch you can buy hawthorn (or beech or something else) whips quite cheaply and keep it at a manageable height.

Yes, get rid of them, they're a blight. I remember when they were fairly newly arrived here and sold as a fast growing hedge. Very popular. 40 years later not looking so good when left to their own devices.

I wish my neighbours would replace their Leylandi with a fence - it sucks all the nutrients out of the soil on my side. Right PIA - now got to the point where neighbours in their 70s and have to employ somebody to cut it as they have let it grow so high.

My parents had a long hedge that they had taken out and replaced with a fence a couple of years ago and it looks so much better. Brighter, the garden looks so much bigger, it was a great decision.

Also I hate my neighbours 15ft high Leylandii. We’ve spoken on numerous occasions and it’s now at a height my dh can cut the overhang with a pole pruner. He won’t be able to manage it soon and I haven’t got the physical strength to. I don’t feel it fair to pay for someone else to do it - it’s not my massive hedge.
I’ve had many dark thoughts about poisoning the trees but obviously that’s not right and especially for other plants and wildlife.

Well! That’s unanimous. Thank you

It’s a bit late to remove it now, you should probably wait until September or October. There will be nesting birds at the moment.

Leylandii is hard work to maintain, ruins the ground (makes soil too acidic for plants to grow underneath) and gets raggy in old age as it doesn't regenerate from old wood.

I'd go for a fence and then plant easier to manage shrubs along it.
You might need to replace some top soil to help if it's been too damaged.

You should get rid. A relative of mine had his garden absolutely destroyed after 5 big trees fell down in a recent storm. An amazing garden including a pond, basically 25 years of gardening work was totally destroyed. They wish now they had gotten rid years ago. Best of luck!

A different type of hedge would be nice, but probably not practical.

I’ve seen so many people pull up their beautiful box hedges and replace with incredibly ugly looking fences.

But I think in your case a fence might be best. You could grow lots of plants up it so it still looks natural and beautiful.

I'm getting our huge - must be 20 foot leylandi removed on Monday. Our neighbours keep complaining that it affects their enjoyment of their garden. We did get 3 smaller ones taken out of our front garden a few years ago as they said it was affecting the light in their garden. Obviously I don't wish to ruin their enjoyment of their home but we are on uc and I told them that I couldn't afford to remove it atm. I thought they might suggest going halves but no, they just keep sending me nasty messages and ignoring me! It's costing me just over £1000 (getting a much smaller tree removed at the same time) but I just want it gone.

It's one huge tree.