Cypress Leyland Tree Not Good For Small Garden?

by the way we had blue junipers in our back yard and they did take a while to get established but then they looked great and are very hardy. looked wonderful until a tenant ripped them out and planted impatiens. 🙁

slopegirl

in Garden Design and Maintenance 12 years and 7 months ago

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xistent | 12 years and 7 months ago

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In the very small garden area in front of our brownstone, last year I planted a Cypress Leyland next to 2 blue Junipers to form a visual barrier between our property, from that of an unpleasant neighbor and his unkempt property. So far it’s doing well, growing steadily at a quicker rate than the blue Junipers, but not out of hand, perhaps due to the northern exposure and lack of sun in the spot where it’s planted.. A reputable nursery advised me to plant this combination here to achieve the privacy we wanted. As I research this plant I read many accounts that it’s not designed for small garden areas and that it can easily get out of hand. Should I be worried about this or is this tree controllable with regular pruning? So far we really like the tree’s appearance and the privacy it’s providing and the nursery insists that we can keep it’s growth at bay by pruning it’s width regularly and pruning the top when it reaches the desired height. I just want to be sure I’m not creating a potential for problems later as the tree matures. Feedback appreciated.

marie-helene | 12 years and 7 months ago

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On the plus side, this is a tree that grows very fast (which is why it is recommended for hedges).  On the negative side, it can easily reach 50-60ft at maturity (about 15 years), and because it is shallow rooted,a small area like a front yard does not give it the stability it needs for its size.  The other issue is that all the pruning can let in fungus, especially in hot & humid weather. So I would say that yes, you will have a problem down the line.  In six or seven years, the tree will become large enough that it might topple in a storm, or if you are very diligent with pruning, you might have die-backs where the fungus killed a branch.   That said, it’s in now.  You could just live with it for the next 5 years and plant a companion tree that will mature to the right size and no bigger.  This way, when the cypress becomes a nuisance, you have a tree that can take over for the job of screening your neighbor.

Arkady | 12 years and 7 months ago

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I’d have voted against using it too – it really runs amok.

xistent | 12 years and 7 months ago

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From what I know now it does seem to be an odd choice but at this point I gues I will just try tokeep it pruned small enough and see how it goes. I can always tear it out when fungus occurs and try something else or put in another blue juniper to match the others…

marie-helene | 12 years and 7 months ago

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You could plant a variegated euonymus with gold/white/green leaves.  The gold would look very good with blue junipers, and these shrubs are very tolerant of a variety of soil and growing conditions.  In addition, they are very easy to trim, much less susceptible to mildew/fungus than other evergreens, and top out at around 12-15ft max.  Just make sure to pick a variety that grows naturally in the shape and size you need; much easier not to fight nature. If you plant one now (October is the best month to plant trees/shrubs), it will be large enough in 3/4 years and you can just cut the Leyland cypress before it gets out of hand.