put what?! Where?!

My neighbor at the house has suggested that, instead of putting up a tall fence, he is interested in planting leland cypress bushes. The bushes will be on his property, but I think he was seeking feedback from me as the one side would be bordering the long part of my yard.

What do you guys think? It certainly doesn't look like an attractive bush, and I'd rather have a fence myself. Are these shrubs easy to prune? Will it be a bug-magnet, inviting pests into my yard?

TIA,
-Jennifer

Nope, they're not a bug magnet, no worry in that department. They do get about 30 to 40 ft tall tho (certainly not a bush, eh?) so if that will one day offer you too much shade (for certain bushes, bedding plants, and veggies patch) you may want to keep that in mind.

One of the biggest things to keep in mind also is that they have a very shallow root system. When the get up in size they are well-known for being blown over. (Last month the city had to clean up and take down about 20 of them due to a windstorm...they were 25 ft tall or more.)

Maybe ya'll could go in halves on fence. He could landscape his side and you do what you like on yours. A nice tall wooden plank fence will offer privacy and also let you put hanging baskets on it, or shelves, or yard ornaments, or let it be the backdrop for a particular flower bed, or grow vines up it.

(Sheesh, I better hush up...if I keep talking, your neighbor ain't gonna like either one of us, eh Angelsong? ô¿ô

Thanks, Shoe. I wasn't aware of the shallow roots, and might mention that to the neighbor. Last winter's ice storms were enough for me to be afraid of anything that roots shallow. Can these bushes be trimmed, to keep them from growing so tall? Or would trimming end up killing the shrub? As for shade, *LOL* I have none, except for what the house itself provides. Any shade sounds good to me right now.

As for the fencing, see, my house is on the corner. Up one on the side street is the neighbor in question. Up one from that, and the next 3 or 4 houses, are those privacy fences you mentioned. I had planned on eventually, once the house was orderly and suited to my taste, putting up a fence like those down the street. My neighbor, however, mentioned he doesn't want to put up a fence "that blocks in the entire yard". This is what makes me think he plans on keeping the shrubs shorter than their natural normal height.

So, does that make the situation any more confusing? The neighbor is really great to talk to, and I admire that he even asked my opinion before planting the shrubs. I expect a call from him sometime this week, as he has offered to share a delivery of moderate sized rocks with me. Any additional advice you can offer me before we discuss these shrubs would be greatly appreciated. :)

Thanks,
-Jennifer

No shade? Oh m'gosh! They should do well there then!

As for pruning, I had to look that one up (AHS book). They do give pruning instructions, basically prune in the Spring but can prune up to two more times, but do not cut into the old wood. I suppose if you think about it Christmas trees get pruned all the time while being grown out, so why not cypress, eh?

You could also consider one of the arborvitae. They are also evergreen and don't grow quite so rapidly nor high as the leylands do. There is one (in the book I'm staring into!) called "Rheingold" that is a greenish/golden-yellow and only grows to six feet tall. There are others varieties that grow to 10 ft tall, some 20 ft, etc.

There are much better privacy hedges than Leyland cypress. People get suckered into them because they want the 'fast growing' plants, instead of realizing that a moderate-growth shrub will do much better, long-term, for the same purpose. Do try to convince him that either a different shrub, or a true fence, will serve the purpose much better.

It's always a big mistake to think you can keep a very tall specimen 'just the right height' by pruning it. Better to get something that is going to top out at the right height, from the beginning.

jk - Thank you, but what else do you suggest? I'm quite uncomfortable going to my soon-to-be neighbor with the suggestion of "don't use that shrub, use something else" without an idea what else should be used.

'Shoe - Rheingold? Is that a type of cypress?

Thanks,
Jennifer

No, not a cypress, but an evergreen. It's a variety of aborvitae. I'll try to find you a link to it and post it later.

wish i had read this thread last year I planted one of these leland cyress right next to my house out it goes i will be digging them up tomorrow