What to do with leylandii that have been pruned at the bottom?

I'm no expert but speaking from experience, I'm not sure leylandii will grow back. In any case it would take some time.
I wonder whether some periwinkle (vinca major) would survive there and quickly fill the gap?

Hi Hannah and welcome... Given the fact that leylandii is almost an invasive weed I wouldn't worry to much. Keep it pruned back hard - you can bet it will still grow like the thug it is. You might want to consider removing.

It wont to all intents and purposes the trunks will stay bare where they have been trimmed. Dont hink much will grow underneath as too dry, dark and starved?

I doubt very much that it will grow again so if you want to hide it you could erect a low picket fence against the trunks,

Hi Hannah' I am asuming that the trees are a few years old if they have not been looked after properly they will not have had to prune much off the bottom as they make most of there groth on top, but if you controle them from now on by not treating them as trees but as a headge, keep them down to seven feet max'' and trim them back to this ,when they outgrow what you require no matter what time of the year it is you will find that the bottom will fill out, because as it has been pointed out they are tough but can be trained in to a thick,headge not my choise because they are shallow rooted and will take all the nuterants and water that you need for your plants and as they get older you will have a grate deal of truble with thick shallow and exposed roots , leylandi and private are no no's in my book.

I'd ban the blasted things for normal garden use. Folk plant them and don't take care of them. It took us years to get our neighbour to realise how much light we, and they, were losing from gardens due to an overgrown hedge. Thankfully it is down to about 6 foot now. A fence would be much better though.

I would ban the people that don't look after them!

Good point Fractal

Planning permission should be applied for before any individual plants these trees. The planning should come with conditions to keep them cut to a height no more than 2 metres which is the legal requirement. Any breach of this highlighted by a complaint from a third party should then give a local authority the opportunity to seek a court order to make the owner cut them down, or pay for the local authority to do it (part 8 Anti social behaviour Act 2003). In the long run it would save time, money and upset. The statute already in place applies to all evergreen hedges, not just leylandii, but in my opinion deals with the problem after the damage has been done, hence seeking planning permission. In answer to your question, the leylandii do not grow back if they have been trimmed to brown wood. They look untidy if they haven't been kept in check so if your purse strings stretch to it, get them removed, plus the roots and replenish your soil and plant something much nicer and a little less controversial like Viburnum or laurus, the possibilities are endless.

andrea I agree with everying you say except ,you are wrong in saying that they will not grow back at the botton because Idid it as I discribed when I moved in to a property, and I have dun it since for a frend ,the first one I did is not there now because some years later I removed it but the one I did for a frend is still there , they if neglected grow up and out and grow very little on the bottom which is what I surspect has happend hear, if you restrict them as discribed they like the weeds they are will survive and grow any way they can in this case by sprouting branches at the bottom with respect,

I agree with Andrea on this, once you cut back to the "brown wood" they do not grow back.. I had 3 in my back garden and they were cut back as described and never grew back.. Glad there gone now :)

PS I wish I new as much about puting photoes on hear we have a hedge about fifty yards away belonging to the council they trimed it last week and I asked them if they were going to take any offthe top ,they said it is down for it but I havent got the hoist yet they are at least twenty feet and thick down to the ground and a number of roots are exposed above the yellow patch they call a lawrn but I can finde no grass on it,

the only thing left to say is dose any one want to bet,

Hahahaha Cliffo..

Hannah I have sent you a pm

Perhaps they were't Leylandii Cliffo, because those will not regenerate, they will stay bare trunked. I did used to grow Japanese anemones below them though.

Perhaps our conifer expert Bluespruce would comment on whether leylandii that are commonly (mis)used as hedging can regenerate when you cut off the green back to the 'brown wood'. I have always been advised they can't, have read other articles that confirm this and from personal experience. As Mad says, they were probably another type of conifer. I will PM him with the link to this question and see what he has to say.

Hi Andrea xx
leylandii will only regenerate from up to two year old wood, in other words not from the old brown wood. it would require growth from current years wood to grow up and around to cover any bare or dead areas. Thuja atrovirens is quite often used for hedging, is slower in growth, has coarser, flater, generally darker foliage and does break from old wood, and is better suited as a hedging conifer. Hope this helps.

Thanks all - it sounds as though we're going to have to move in and wait & see whether we get any re growth in the short term. Any suggestions on what we replace them with in the long term? We need some height for privacy & for the same reason would want something fast growing?

Try a fence...

Thanks Blue. I would try english laurel (Prunus laurocerasus) or laurus nobilis (Bay). If you want a tight knit, fast growing, evergreen hedge that flowers, you could even try Escallonia. The fence is an idea, however to encourage wildlife and nesting birds into your garden I would always settle for a hedge

you can get some lovly rose hedges, have a look on the internet,

I have no wish to get in to a stupid argement all though the trees I spoke of I planted at two years of they were five year old when I saw them next and bair up to four feet they are now seven years old and were bought from a nursery as laylandii, so I have been on the net for you because I hope you get rid of it , rose hedge grows one foot each year but in the winter the leaves fall, so I surjest a mixed headge along with the rose which are lovley plant contoncaster ( evergreen ) and posable laurel to offsetthe winter bairness, as longe you are not subjected to costal winds, depends were in Liverpool you are.

PS I don't were I got Liverpool from