The Gardening Register» 2009 01 (Jan)

Leylandii Hedge

Linda — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 09:50:35 +0000

Question:

I have just moved into a new house and there is a 20 foot high leylandii hedge down one whole side of the garden. The bottom is a bit sparse, and I really want to plant a border in front of it. Can you please give me any advice about what plants would survive?

Answer:

Leylandii are a nuisance in the garden as they grow very quick and if not kept in check can soon take over a whole garden!

It is extremely difficult to grow anything under a hedge, particularly leylandii as they remove so much moisture from the soil.

I would not advise trying to plant a border under the hedge as the shade and lack of moisture means that not much is likely to grow there successfully.

I would plant up pots to provide colour and interest, just place them under the hedge and keep them well watered.

Try planting a few pots with spring flowering bulbs layering different types to get a succession of flowering e.g. daffodils in the lower layer, followed by tulips, then crocus or iris; anything that takes your fancy will do. Once flowering is over these pots can be moved into a corner out of the way until next spring. Replace them by pots full of summer bedding plants.

For all year background interest you could have your evergreens and grasses; conifers also do well in pots and their size is kept in check.

A good plant for autumn interest is Skimmia, they don't mind low light and are great in pots. click here to see a selection from Crocus

Similar Posts:

Planting under a Leylandii Hedge - I need some advice on a stretch of garden outside my back door. It measures about 3.6m from kitchen step to neighbour’s fence. On the neighbour’s side there is a row of leylandii about 10ft high on our side there is a narrow shaped bed border by a gravel path. Share and Enjoy: ...
Flower Bulb Storage - I have been offered a large number of bulbs via a friend who deals in bankrupt stock. My garden is currently in the planning stage and I won’t be able to plant them until late spring at the earliest. I know that spring flowering bulbs should be in the ground by now anyway. Can I ...
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Pruning Clematis Jackmanii

Linda — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 17:23:18 +0000

Question: We have a clematis Niobe, which we have had for 5 or 6 years, it has never been cut back hard as the original label said to just trim. We now understand that it should have been cut back hard each year.At the moment it has pairs of healthy buds high up, with no pairs of healthy buds low down,any sugestions as to how to treat the plant now regarding cutting hard back.I tried cutting one hard back once before without any low buds, thinking new ones would sprout out low down but the plant never recovered, it was a ville de leon. Answer: Clematis Niobe is part of the Jackmanii Group of Clematis which flower April to October. The usual way to prune is to remove any dead or weak stems in late winter or early spring and cut the remaining stems back to the highest pair of strong-growing buds. As your strong buds are near the top of the plant I suggest cutting just above these in the hope that buds may develop further down the stems in coming years. If they do then cut just above the lower buds to try to get more, new healthy growth higher up. If you can, try to unravel the stems and spread them out across the support to try to encourage more buds. As new growth appears train them to fill any gaps. I have pruned this type of clematis to about a foot high and have been successful in getting lots of new growth and flowers, however, it can be risky so it's up to you.Similar Posts:

Pruning Yew - You can cut yew back very hard if you want to, as well as helping to keep the tree in good shape it also promotes new growth. Share and Enjoy: ...
Moving Gooseberries and Blackcurrants - Can gooseberry and blackcurrant bushes be dug up and moved at this time of year? Some of the bushes are old bushes some are two year old bushes.Any advice on winter pruning the bushes after having been moved. Share and Enjoy: ...
Planting under a Leylandii Hedge - I need some advice on a stretch of garden outside my back door. It measures about 3.6m from kitchen step to neighbour’s fence. On the neighbour’s side there is a row of leylandii about 10ft high on our side there is a narrow shaped bed border by a gravel path. Share and Enjoy: ...
Leylandii Hedge - I have just moved into a new house and there is a 20 foot high leylandii hedge down one whole side of the garden. The bottom is a bit sparse, and I really want to plant a border in front of it. Can you please give me any advice about what plants would ...
Flower Bulb Storage - I have been offered a large number of bulbs via a friend who deals in bankrupt stock. My garden is currently in the planning stage and I won’t be able to plant them until late spring at the earliest. I know that spring flowering bulbs should be in the ground by now anyway. Can I ...

Flower Bulb Storage

Linda — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 16:31:08 +0000

Question: I have been offered a large number of bulbs via a friend who deals in bankrupt stock. My garden is currently in the planning stage and I won't be able to plant them until late spring at the earliest. I know that spring flowering bulbs should be in the ground by now anyway. Can I 'stop their clock' by storing them in a fridge until I can plant them in the autumn? Answer: I can't see any reason why the bulbs shouldn't be OK in the fridge until autumn, although you need to ensure that they are dry and free of rot. Check them every few weeks and discard any that start to rot off. If you have the room, another idea may be to plant them in large plant pots, allow them to flower in their pots this spring to enjoy the display. Once they are over and the foliage has died down you can lift them, dry them out and store them until autumn when they can go into the ground.Similar Posts:

Leylandii Hedge - I have just moved into a new house and there is a 20 foot high leylandii hedge down one whole side of the garden. The bottom is a bit sparse, and I really want to plant a border in front of it. Can you please give me any advice about what plants would ...
Planting under a Leylandii Hedge - I need some advice on a stretch of garden outside my back door. It measures about 3.6m from kitchen step to neighbour’s fence. On the neighbour’s side there is a row of leylandii about 10ft high on our side there is a narrow shaped bed border by a gravel path. Share and Enjoy: ...
Pruning Yew - You can cut yew back very hard if you want to, as well as helping to keep the tree in good shape it also promotes new growth. Share and Enjoy: ...
Pruning Clematis Jackmanii - We have a clematis Niobe, which we have had for 5 or 6 years, it has never been cut back hard as the original label said to just trim. We now understand that it should have been cut back hard each year.At the moment it has pairs of healthy buds high up, with no pairs ...
Moving Gooseberries and Blackcurrants - Can gooseberry and blackcurrant bushes be dug up and moved at this time of year? Some of the bushes are old bushes some are two year old bushes.Any advice on winter pruning the bushes after having been moved. Share and Enjoy: ...

Planting under a Leylandii Hedge

Linda — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 16:11:00 +0000

Question: I need some advice on a stretch of garden outside my back door. It measures about 3.6m from kitchen step to neighbour's fence. On the neighbour's side there is a row of leylandii about 10ft high on our side there is a narrow shaped bed border by a gravel path. There are few plants struggling to grown in the bed with the exception of a rhodedendron. The stretch of garden is east facing. I wanted to know if it would be best to get rid of the narrow shaped bed and extend the gravel path up to the fence and then plant up pots with shrubs and climbers in order to disguise the fence. If I were to keep the bed, what plants would suit that position as it is quite dry and only gets about 2 hours dappled sun a day. Would grasses and evergreens thrive. Answer: Leylandii are a nuisance in the garden as they grow very quick and if not kept in check can soon take over a whole garden! It is extremely difficult to grow anything under a hedge, particularly leylandii as they remove so much moisture from the soil. The fact that your bed only gets a couple of hours sunshine a day is also a problem. I would get rid of the bed and extend the gravel up to the fence and, as you suggest, plant up pots to provide colour and interest. You will still have a problem with low light levels but most do plants are OK in pots for a few years. Try planting a few pots with spring flowering bulbs layering different types to get a succession of flowering e.g. daffodils in the lower layer, followed by tulips, then crocus or iris; anything that takes your fancy will do. Once flowering is over these pots can be moved into a corner out of the way until next spring. Replace them by pots full of summer bedding plants. For all year background interest you could have your evergreens and grasses; conifers also do well in pots and their size is kept in check. A good plant for autumn interest is Skimmia, they don't mind low light and are great in pots. click here to see a selection from Crocus There aren't many climbers which will survive against the fence but ivy should be OK and will give your gravel area an evergreen backdrop. There are lots of different ivy available, click here to see a selection from Crocus.Similar Posts:

Leylandii Hedge - I have just moved into a new house and there is a 20 foot high leylandii hedge down one whole side of the garden. The bottom is a bit sparse, and I really want to plant a border in front of it. Can you please give me any advice about what plants would ...
Flower Bulb Storage - I have been offered a large number of bulbs via a friend who deals in bankrupt stock. My garden is currently in the planning stage and I won’t be able to plant them until late spring at the earliest. I know that spring flowering bulbs should be in the ground by now anyway. Can I ...
Pruning Clematis Jackmanii - We have a clematis Niobe, which we have had for 5 or 6 years, it has never been cut back hard as the original label said to just trim. We now understand that it should have been cut back hard each year.At the moment it has pairs of healthy buds high up, with no pairs ...

Moving Gooseberries and Blackcurrants

Linda — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 16:41:08 +0000

Question: Can gooseberry and blackcurrant bushes be dug up and moved at this time of year? Some of the bushes are old bushes some are two year old bushes.Any advice on winter pruning the bushes after having been moved. Answer: Gooseberries and blackcurrants are best moved during October or November but moving them early Spring shouldn't cause any problems. Wait until the soil warms up a bit and can be easily worked. Dig the holes in the new position before digging up the bushes, replant them immediately. Add some well rotted manure to the holes as you refill. Finally give them a good watering and add a good thick layer of mulch to the surface. I would prune the bushes before you move them to make it easier and to reduce the shock. Gooseberries should be pruned during November to March. Cut back by half the new growth produced this year, reduce side shoots to about 2 inches, cut out dead or diseased branches and thin out the centre. Blackcurrants should be prune November to March. Begin 2 years after planting and cut out old, weak branches. From 3 or 4 years cut out weak or diseased branches and cut out about a third of the fruited branches to make room for new growth. Cut out all wood more than 4 years old.Similar Posts:

Pruning Clematis Jackmanii - We have a clematis Niobe, which we have had for 5 or 6 years, it has never been cut back hard as the original label said to just trim. We now understand that it should have been cut back hard each year.At the moment it has pairs of healthy buds high up, with no pairs ...
Pruning Yew - You can cut yew back very hard if you want to, as well as helping to keep the tree in good shape it also promotes new growth. Share and Enjoy: ...
Leylandii Hedge - I have just moved into a new house and there is a 20 foot high leylandii hedge down one whole side of the garden. The bottom is a bit sparse, and I really want to plant a border in front of it. Can you please give me any advice about what plants would ...
Planting under a Leylandii Hedge - I need some advice on a stretch of garden outside my back door. It measures about 3.6m from kitchen step to neighbour’s fence. On the neighbour’s side there is a row of leylandii about 10ft high on our side there is a narrow shaped bed border by a gravel path. Share and Enjoy: ...

Pruning Yew

Linda — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 16:14:10 +0000

Question: When and how to prune common yew tree. Answer: You can cut yew back very hard if you want to, as well as helping to keep the tree in good shape it also promotes new growth. Wait until the Spring when all risk of frost has passed.Similar Posts:

Pruning Clematis Jackmanii - We have a clematis Niobe, which we have had for 5 or 6 years, it has never been cut back hard as the original label said to just trim. We now understand that it should have been cut back hard each year.At the moment it has pairs of healthy buds high up, with no pairs ...
Moving Gooseberries and Blackcurrants - Can gooseberry and blackcurrant bushes be dug up and moved at this time of year? Some of the bushes are old bushes some are two year old bushes.Any advice on winter pruning the bushes after having been moved. Share and Enjoy: ...
Planting under a Leylandii Hedge - I need some advice on a stretch of garden outside my back door. It measures about 3.6m from kitchen step to neighbour’s fence. On the neighbour’s side there is a row of leylandii about 10ft high on our side there is a narrow shaped bed border by a gravel path. Share and Enjoy: ...
Flower Bulb Storage - I have been offered a large number of bulbs via a friend who deals in bankrupt stock. My garden is currently in the planning stage and I won’t be able to plant them until late spring at the earliest. I know that spring flowering bulbs should be in the ground by now anyway. Can I ...
Leylandii Hedge - I have just moved into a new house and there is a 20 foot high leylandii hedge down one whole side of the garden. The bottom is a bit sparse, and I really want to plant a border in front of it. Can you please give me any advice about what plants would ...