Pleached Leylandii, Pleached Leyland, Pleached Leylandii cypress

Leylandii, Leyland, Leylandii cypress – Cupressocyparis leylandii (Cupressaceae)

The Leylandii cypress is one of the best-known evergreen trees in Britain. This coniferous tree is valued for its toughness, fast growing habit of 100cm a year and dense evergreen foliage making it a firm favorite for screening and hedging purposes. Unfortunately, the tree has a bad reputation due to unwitting novice gardeners who continue to plant them in unsuitable small spaces and failing to maintain them correctly. In this situation they quickly outgrow a site unless a disciplined approach to maintenance is adopted. They can be used in small areas but clipping two to three times a year is crucial. There is no getting away from the fact that Leylandii prefers wide open spaces where it can grow unrestricted and unchecked, providing broadscale cover.

Uses & Appearance

Planted in rows they quickly knit together to create extremely tall screens, used as windbreaks, noise barriers and visual barriers. Being Europe’s fastest growing conifer makes it the cheapest too – you get a lot of tree for the money. With its origin in Wales – C.J. Leyland, Leighton Park, Welshpool, Wales, 1888 it is a cross between Chamaecyparis nootkatenis (Nootka cypress) and Cupressus macrocarpa (Monterey cypress), the Leylandii reaches heights of 40 meters. With its dark green scale like leaves and dense appearance this evergreen conifer fits in surprisingly well into the British landscape. Planted as solitaires, pairs or in avenues with acres of space to develop, the Cupressocyparis leylandii looks fantastic. With a columnar to narrow pyramidal shape, they stand out through all seasons but especially so in winter when surrounding deciduous trees have lost their leaves. The dark green foliage looks superb against the reddish-brown twigs and bark. The tree produces small reddish to brown cones roughly 2cm across each year but being so small they are relatively inconsequential from a ground’s maintenance point of view.

A Remarkably Tough Tree

Leylandii can be seen flourishing on sites with poor soil. It will tolerate all soil types as long as it is reasonably well drained. It thoroughly enjoys being planted in full sun and can quite easily grow 10 meters in ten years, but it is equally happy in partial shade, but not full shade. It’s worth noting if Leylandii is left unclipped it can be very difficult to tame and regular trimming of the new shoots is necessary to keep it neat and tidy and the growth in check. If old wood is pruned, regrowth will not occur. The Leylandii cypress will cope comfortably with temperatures down to – 15C. Suitable for coastal areas, industrial and commercial sites and large gardens, it is available as specimen trees up to 8m tall, hedge plants and Hi pleached trees. Available as rootball plants in the winter months, potted stock available while stocks last and cocoa rootball can be arranged for delivery throughout summer period by prior arrangement.

Planting advice for Pleached trees and Espaliered trees.

An important consideration when planting pleached or espalier trees in a straight line is the slope of the ground. Pleached or Espalier trees look their best when they are planted on flat or gently sloping ground. Doing so will line up the frames and stems and creating effect of one continuous line when viewed at all angles. Even on a gradual slope this effect can be achieved. However, with a slope of more than 10-12 degrees, it may be necessary to step the trees/frames when planting (the frames on freshly pleached trees can be manipulated to account for a sharper slope of perhaps 15 degree if necessary).

To create a good visual effect, it is important to line up the stems and frames (unless you are planting them in a circle or semi-circle). To start off the planting holes should measure roughly double the width of the rootball or pot….

Read our full planting guide here

How are Pleached Trees made?

Pleached trees or screen trees start life as a seedling or cutting, much like any other tree, being repotted or replanted a number of times in their formative years. They grow happily on the nursery with hundreds or even thousands of other trees. When the time is right, highly skilled nurserymen and woman go out into the field amongst the trees with tags in hand and pick the very best trees for pleaching. The criteria for choosing the best trees for training includes, selecting those with the straightest stems, healthy root stock and appropriately spreading and uninform crowns. Once tagged and lifted the trees are loaded onto trailers and sent to potting sheds for training. Read our full guide to pleaching trees here

Delivery varies depending on:

• How many trees you require
• If you want us to plant them
• Accessibility of the site
• If any need sourcing
• The seasonal ability to lift or plant specific species

  Please contact us to discuss your individual requirements.