If you have to, now. It is a superb hedge maker, if properly kept. There are alternatives. I like to use prunus lusitanica (Portugal Laurel). Evergreen, attractive, dense, well-behaved. Phil J

I also like viburnum tinus. It is evergreen ,grows about 12-18 inches per annum and has white flowers in winter followed by small black berries.

Here's a photo of the one in my garden

http://www.flickr.com/photos/31559373@N00/3379402503/

Try googling viburnum tinus the third photo shows a lovely hedge

Some of the evergreen cotoneasters make excellent hedges. I planted one in a customers garden a few years ago. It has lovely white flowers in spring followed by red berries.It will definitely grow to 6 feet tall but needs staking for the first few years until it becomes self supporting

Here's a close up photo of my customers hedge in flower

http://www.flickr.com/photos/31559373@N00/3554081853/

athough leylandi makes a good hedge if trimmed regularly most people seem incapable of doing this and it becomes an 80 foot brute if left unchecked. It also suffers from infestations by red spider mite and if you keep an eye open you'll see lots of brown leylando where it has been over trimmed or become diseased.

Personally I'd choose one of the many evergreen trees/shrubs available. A mixture of several different types can look lovely and will provide flower.berries and a habitat for wildlife far superior to leylandi. You could try,holly,yew,cotoneaster,viburmum,prunus lusitanica( as suggested by Phil above) choisya,ceanothus,aucuba.elaeagnus,escallonia,photinia,pittosporum,pyracanrosemary. Most of these will reach 6 feet tall some taller others not you'd need to google

Here's a list of some of the above with photos taken by me which I used to answer a question on evergreen shrubs elsewhere

Viburnum tinus

http://www.flickr.com/photos/31559373@N00/3379402503/

Escallonia

http://www.flickr.com/photos/31559373@N00/553286521/

Photinia

http://www.flickr.com/photos/31559373@N00/3507421133/

Choisya

http://www.flickr.com/photos/31559373@N00/3508225698/

Variegated holly

http://www.flickr.com/photos/31559373@N00/4760898250/

Aucuba

http://www.flickr.com/photos/31559373@N00/4760897182/

Ceanothus

http://www.flickr.com/photos/31559373@N00/3526268098/

I noticed the photo on your flickr album of winter heathers that you had planted up in a ladies garden. They are beautiful....and so lush. How many years does it take to get them looking so good, AM?

From a small plant to get a large diameter (say 18 inches) perhaps say 4-5 years. If you buy a good sized one in a 2 litre pot perhaps two years. I trim heathers every 2 years( every year if the customer is very fussy) just as they're finishing flowering . I use a hedge trimmer and take off all the flowering part of the plant and a little more. This keeps them nicely shaped and they don't get leggy.

Anchorman seems to have covered it for your now is a great time as Philjeffs says as over autumn the soil will be moist and it will establish itself over winter for spring.Trim regular as it can become a garden thug if not.Look in the garden centre for best conifer feeds and pest controls as they are prone( to oft.overlooked)to deficiencys and pests which can impact the app. of them.

Thank you AM and Chega :) I'll be on the lookout for heathers when I am next at the GC.....probably a 2L pot as I'm impatient to see things growing and thriving and looking established.

When I was a full time nurseryman about 20 years ago I used to buy in 10000 small winter flowering heathers each year from a local specialist heather grower.(cost then 28p per plant wholesale)

I would buy them in March/April, pot on into 2 litre pots and grow them on to sell them the following winter usually for about 90-100p each. The profit margin after taking into account the extra pot and compost,travel and auction fees but excluding my labour would be about 35-40p each

. 10000 large flowering heathers on my nursery was a glorious uplifting sight on a cold winters morning!