Planting and Care of Leylandii

We sell alot of leylandii in all sizes and one of the things we get asked about alot is how to plant them and how to care for them so I have put together a Care Guide that can be used for reference.  I hope you will find it informative and if you have any questions please get in touch, or leave a question on the Blog.  PLANTING AND AFTERCARE OF LEYLANDII 1. Unless you are going to plant your Leylandii immediately, unpack them and stand them upright outside where they won’t get knocked or blown over. If the compost feels dry give them a watering. Provided you water them when needed they can be left in their pots for several months before being planted out. 2. A few hours before you plant them give them a good watering. 3. If they are to be planted in a straight line use a taut string as a guide line, it’s easier than trying to do it by eye and avoids uneven lines of trees which don’t look very attractive. 4. Dig holes at the desired spacings, we would recommend every 2 feet (60cm) unless you want a hedge of 15 feet (5 metres) or higher in which case plant them every 3 feet (90cm). The holes should be slightly wider and deeper than the rootball. 5. Mix some of the soil that you have dug out with organic  compost.  Put a layer of the soil/compost mix in the bottom of each of the holes. 6. Remove the pot, gently squeezing the sides of the pot a few times can make this easier. If the roots are very dense and matted around the outside of rootball tease them loose with your fingers or lightly slash down each side with a sharp knife (a Stanley knife is ideal). This will encourage the roots to grow out into the surrounding soil and establish quicker. 7. Place the tree in the hole, the top of the rootball should be roughly level with the surrounding soil. If it isn’t add or remove some of the soil/compost mix until it is. 8. Fill the gap around the rootball with more soil/compost, firming it down well as you go. 9. If your Leylandii are not already caned, insert a cane vertically next to the stem of the tree and tie the stem to the cane using plastic coated wire twists. You may find some of your Leylandii have more than one main stem, if so choose the tallest, straightest one and tie that to the cane. Caning is especially important with green Leylandii as they tend to grow at an angle or bend over if they are not caned. 10. Once you have finished the planting give them all a good watering to moisten the compost and settle them in. AFTERCARE Leylandii are relatively tough and self-reliant but will need a bit of care from you in their first year if they are to flourish. In dry spells they will need to be watered regularly especially if you have planted them in Spring/Summer. It’s not just the hot weather that can dry them out, strong winds can have the same effect so keep a check on them in winter too. Keep the planted area free from weeds. As soon as they reach the desired height or width you can start trimming them, this will encourage them to bush out and the hedge to fill in more quickly. Hand shears or powered hedge trimmers will both make easy work of the job. Contrary to popular belief Leylandii are not difficult to keep under control, a light trimming a couple of times a year is all that is needed to keep them looking good.