There are about eight of these trees along my eastern fence line. I'm guessing they were planted around 20 years ago - that appears to be when most of the major work on my garden, and my house, was carried out.
Whoever planted them was looking to optimise the space in my garden because the trees were planted right up against the boundary line. I suppose it's possible that the then residents of this house and the house next door agreed that that trees themselves would form the boundary line.
Today a low fence runs along the eastern side of the trees, placing them firmly on my side. The neighbours have cut the leylandii right back to the trunks on their side, which must give an unsightly appearance - a row of bold uprights with all the twiggy dead wood behind them. The bright green foliage that's on my side will be invisible to them.
However, previous residents of my home have also had a go at chopping back the leylandii. Three or four of the trees in the centre of the boundary only have foliage at the top. This means that their role as a screen is ineffective, because once you cut leylandii back it does not grow again.
These mature trees are now about 12-15 feet high and still throwing shoots upwards. I want to take them down, putting in replacements which will be kept to about 8-10 feet and. I'll probably go for a mixture of shrubs rather than a row of a single variety.
The process of replacement will take time. I already have a garden full of dead wood and yesterday's initial chopping added to an already high pile. I estimate it could be a decade before all the leylandii are down.
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