Hiding my mistake!

Bizzybee63

Hello folks, two years ago I had a go at tidying and pruning and I went a bit  mad with the  loppers and trimmer and took too much away from the leylandii and now am left with bare trunks and an ugly fence showing through plants. What can I plant to hide this ? Ideally I would like something fast growing , tall , some colour . It's not very moist due to the leylandii . This border gets full sun from late morning onwards. Any suggestions would be most helpful. Many thanks.

 

 

gardeninglily1

I don't think you are going to get anything to grow underneath as the soil will be dry with no nutrients. I would cut off the dead branches and tidy them up and then hang a hammock between 2 trees, some summer hanging baskets to brighten the area (winter flowering ones in winter), chimes (although they can be annoying). You could make a feature area with pots and seating area/benches but I don't think you will get much to grow in that soil.

Reluctant_Gardener

Tetley wrote (see)

I would use this opportunity to make a big change.  Get the conifers chopped down, and grind the stumps out.  Improve the soil. and plant a lovely mixed shrubbery with a few climbers.   A trellis with a seat maybe........    ...maybe keep a couple of stumps to place a bird feeder or bath ....make a fairy garden with "house"   ????

A load of s*it.

 

 

 

Would do it

Penelope Gillespy

Leylandii are a curse.

Take the bull by the horns and take them out. You can have so much more interesting border to the garden, with colour, variations in season. And quick growing will mean that you will always be cutting back. 

Fairygirl

I'd erect a simple fence to the front of it and use that for climbers and shrubs to screen the hedge. Add loads of manure and compost before you plant and then choose planting according to your likes and dislikes. Water well for the first year till established. Less work than taking it all out unless you really want to do that. 

I'm also assuming the hedge is a boundary between you and a neighbour. If the hedge is theirs you can't remove it anyway. 

Katherine W

How much space do you have in front of the hedge? I'd consider, if there is enough, making use of the ground 1 to 1.5 m from th hedge to plant a long-narrow border with shrubs, perennials etc, and usung the foot of the hedge as a maintenance path at the back... the hedge would still give shelter and height behind, but the shorn base would not be so obvious....lots of impoving of the soil would be necessary, even at that distance, but at least it would be less drastic than taking down the whole thing.

Altrnatively cut two good holes and fill them with goodness at the ends of the hedge, again a bit out of the direct vicinity, and plant two vigourous creepers and let them go rampant all over the hedge... but you need the right srt of neighbours for that ... people can get touchy about rampant creepers.

That said, Leylandii really are awkward customers...

Bizzybee63

Thank you all !

Joe_the_Gardener

If you saw those trees in a garden centre, would you buy them? I thought not!

4thPanda

My neighbour has a screen of these and I have successfully managed to plant 'under' them.... I have helibores, geraniums, bleeding hearts..... I know they aren't supposed to grow but no one has told them that! Occasionally they get a liquid feed when I feed my hanging baskets, other than that they just get on with it 

Hostafan1

You have plenty of ivy there which will, in time. clothe those bare trunks.

Ivy is very good for wildlife too and , given all the extra light, it should grow pretty quickly now.

Bizzybee63

Thanks Hosta! I have a few nice perennials doing quite well but they are middle to front of the border. Will encourage the ivy and look into other creepers.