[gardendelights]

Hi Guys how are you all , it was a beautiful day here yesterday and spent the entire day on the garden project planted some trees last week and still on the look out for more shelter around the perimeters so this is the task I shall be tackling in the next few weeks and also tidying up what I have already here. As usual I have a million questions however perhaps this year I will tackle one at a time ha ha , So my question this week is can anyone recommend good shelter trees for a windy , very windy site on a hill and also the question which I know will not make me popular is , would it be helpful to plant some leylandi? as the wind is really strong.

I thought maybe I could keep the tops of the leylandi cut when they reach 6ft or 7ft , my reasoning is that this would help me achieve a warmer garden where my other plantings would thrive and also as I am now 60 it would be nice to see it take shape and these trees I believe grow fast as there are some at the front of the site , mind you their branches now need some gentle cutting back as they are coming onto the road up to the house . Looking forward to any suggestions and kind regards to all Kathy.

[Greengage]

Re Your leylandii: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1309450/Plymouth-35ft-trees-Residents-demand-action-neighbours-leylandii-cypress.html

[tagwex]

Welcome back you've been gone a while!

[Sue Deacon]

Hi there, and welcome back

Regarding Leylandii, I think it would depend on the size of your garden and the proximity of your neighbours. In semi-detached suburbia they can be a real pain in the axxe. But if you have the space and are prepared to maintain them they can be an excellent windbreak and backdrop to other plants.

A word or caution, a neighbour planted some down his drive, on the boundary of his property (fields next door), he didn't't allow for the width of the trees and did not start pruning until they had reached a good height. Now when you go up his drive it is like driving through a tunnel. If he had planted them in the field - a piece of scrubland belonging to his Brother in Law - and had started to shape them earlier he would not have had the problem.

I have Castlewellan Leylandii along the border of my new garden as I needed a wind break. Castlewellan grow a little slower and are generally better behaved. I planted them three years ago and they are about six foot tall, already 'topped' and trimmed width ways. All branches that grow out into the garden are cut right back and the top is narrower than the base. It is knitting together very well.