"When I plant my large tree what sort of hole and soil will I need?"

Large trees will usually arrive as either containerised plants (in a pot or other container) or rootballed. Containerised trees have been grown in their container for a time and their roots should just have reached the inside of the walls of the container and so be ready to grow out into their new environment. Plants which are rootballed have been grown in open land and will have been transplanted regularly, sometimes five or six times, to keep the roots fibrous and in good health. They will have been expertly dug and their roots wrapped in hessian or, for larger trees, in hessian tied with wire. This rootballing keeps a ball of soil around the roots of the tree and minimises the disturbance it suffers. The hessian and wire should be left on the tree at planting as the hessian will easily rot over time.

Tree pits need to be wide and loose, especially in their top third where most of the root growth happens. When digging out the pit you should keep the topsoil and subsoil separate. The topsoil is usually darker than the subsoil as it contains lots of humus and enormous amounts of life. When planting the tree the subsoil should again be at the bottom of the pit and the topsoil above it. Reversing this can result in the build up of toxic gases as the living material in the topsoil rots.

The bottom of the pit needs to be broken up to some degree to ensure that you don’t produce a sump – a pool full of water in which the tree roots are unlikely to thrive.
When placing a rootballed tree in the tree hole make sure that the rootball is about three centimetres above the level at which it was planted in the nursery. Trees in general dislike to be too deeply planted or to have soil up against their bark. The exceptions to this rule are willows and poplars which are planted around 20cms deeper than they were in the nursery. Their trunks will make new roots directly from the bark and this will help to stabilise them and help them settle in. Trees in containers are generally planted at about the same level that they had in the pot although willows and poplars again can be a little deeper.

To prevent subsidence of the soil in the tree pit the soil can be compressed every 30cms or so as you plant. The question of whether to add soil ameliorants such as composts, mycorrhyzal fungi or slow release fertiliser will depend on the particular soil conditions and specimen. Watering and aerating pipes may also be useful. It will be vital to ensure correct watering of the new tree, neither allowing it to dry out or to be waterlogged. If in doubt seek expert opinions.

Planting larger rootballed plants?

Rootballed plants are generally evergreens and have been grown in open ground, usually a field in fact, and then dug up during a time of year when they are not subject to too much water loss. This means that they are available from around November until April. Once lifted from the ground their roots are wrapped in hessian. A reliable grower will wrap enough roots in the hessian to ensure that the plant can grow healthily. The hessian should be left on during planting and will slowly rot allowing the roots to grow into the surrounding soil. It is usually recommended that the top of the hessian is visible after planting.

Some plants such as Yew are more at home in dryer soils and should not be planted too deep. A couple of inches of the hessian should usually be visible above the ground. As with most plants it is important not to dig into dense clay which could form a trough of water capable of drowning the roots.

It is important that the rootballs do not move once they are planted as this would make it more difficult for the roots to make contact with the soil. The larger the plant the more difficult it is to stop them moving in the wind. Large rootballed trees may need guying above or below the ground to ensure that their roots don’t move. For hedging plants and smaller trees, stakes will work. Hedging plants can sometimes be attached to a line of taught wire. With both stakes and wire some cushioning will be needed to stop the tree bark rubbing away.

As with all larger plants it is important to ensure that they are not stressed by drought during their first couple of years at least. Once the leaves start to droop or to lose their healthy colour it may be too late to save the plant.

Planting trees next to houses and walls?

The question of how close to your house to plant a tree is a complicated one. After a dry summer there is usually a rush of claims to insurance companies after subsidence occurs. The problems generally happen in areas where there is clay soil as tree roots can remove the water from the clay producing shrinkage. This shrinkage may result in movement of foundations and the walls which they support. Exact information is hard to give but it is possible to give a few generalisations. I take my information from a textbook on the subject – “Tree Roots and Buildings” by Cutler and Richardson published by Longman Scientific and Technical. They work from reported problems and give the distance from buildings within which 50% of the incidents occur. If the incidents occur close to a building for a particular species this is considered to be a less dangerous tree to plant than one which gives problems at a greater distance from the house. So Willows, Poplars, Oaks and Elms can give problems at far greater distances than Birches, Hollies, Apples Rowans, Pines, Yews, Magnolias, Laburnums, and Cherries.

It may be wise to consult your insurance company before you plant a large tree in your garden. Be aware however that they are likely to give a very conservative response and that our towns and cities would have far fewer fine trees in them if insurance companies had been the arbiters of what to plant.

There is another way to look at this problem. In many countries street trees are planted into prepared planting pits along the sides of roads. These are effectively large sunken plant pots which allow space for tree roots to develop without interfering with buildings, drains or other services. If you are keen to plant a large tree into a space near to walls, buildings, or services it may be possible to create a pit. For large trees you would need a pit around 2m x 2m and 1m deep. This would have thick walls of blockwork or alternatively welded steel. You would be making an enormous container with drainage holes to prevent it turning into a sump or underground pool. It would be essential to ensure that the container can drain properly and so it is unlikely to work if the pit is dug into clay unless you can arrange good drainage through the clay and away.

In order to water the tree effectively and, almost as important, to allow air to the roots a perforated plastic tube around 50mm in diameter should be buried to the depth of the pit but with its inlet just above soil level. These are available from tree and landscape suppliers but you could improvise one from a length of drainage pipe.
If made well this should allow a tree to thrive in a limited space without danger to its surroundings.

When you receive our ivy screening you will find a biodegradable trough 1.2m (4ft) wide supporting a rigid galvanised steel screen. Ivy plants will have been trained from the trough to almost cover the screen. The entire trough needs to go into a trench, ideally 30cm (1ft) deep and wide, backfilled with soil and compost and with a little slow release fertiliser mixed in. The screens must be attached to something – either an existing structure like a wall or fence or posts put in for the purpose – otherwise they will move in the wind. The most common means of fixing is to place 4in wooden posts at 1.36m (54in) centres and to attach the screens using the brackets which we provide for the job. After that the ivy should grow away and soon leave the mesh virtually covered. Ivy is a very tough plant but will still need basic aftercare ie it needs to be watered in at planting and then it needs to be watered during any periods of drought for the first year or so. Trimming can be carried out once or twice a year.

These fungi live in a natural relationship with the roots of trees which is beneficial to both the fungi and the tree. The fungi receive sugars from the tree which they are otherwise unable to produce alone and the trees receive nutrients from the fungi. Amongst these are nitrogen and phosphorus – both vital to tree growth. Use of mycorrhizal fungi at planting is now widespread and is recommended by the Royal Horticultural Society. Their use has been shown to improve the establishment and growth of newly planted trees although they are not usually recommended in situations – such as non-organic gardens or agricultural situations – where phosphate rich fertilisers are used. These situations tend to suppress the benefits of the fungi. The Royal Horticultural Society can recommend and supply suitable products to use when planting.

"How do I choose the right varieties?"

The correct mix will depend on your soil and site conditions and varies around the country and from site to site. Hedging mixes are often around 50% hawthorn with the other half made from a mix of plants suitable to the conditions. You can see from the table however that hawthorn is not suited to wet or shady conditions. For these sites it may be better to use a large percentage of blackthorn. It is often a good idea to look at the hedging which thrives in your neighbourhood to see which plants are likely to do best.

Can I put an evergreen hedge on the coast?

Growing by the sea can have both advantages and disadvantages. Plants sensitive to cold conditions may be helped by a milder climate than that found inland where the moderating effect of the sea has no influence. On the other hand salt laden winds are a problem for very many plants and only a minority are well adapted to them.

Griselinia is a classic, and frequently very effective, evergreen hedging plant for coastal areas. It will form dense attractive hedges in areas which are never exposed to very cold winds. There are other evergreen hedges which might be suitable in areas which aren’t exposed to very cold winds – varieties of Escallonia, Holly, Bay, Choisya, Cotoneaster, Euonymus, Hebe, Pittosporum, Pyracantha, Viburnum, and Leylandii Cypress. In addition Holm Oak, Junipers and especially Pinus nigra might stand up to very cold winds. Much depends on whether you want a low, formal hedge or a larger, less restricted visual barrier, such as Pinus nigra would give. Holm Oak and Leylandii Cypress might also provide this.

High evergreen hedges- "I need one to block out a view. How should I decide which type to buy?"

There are many varieties of plant which make excellent evergreen hedges. The first thing to bear in mind though in the UK is that neighbours and local authorities can object if boundary hedges are higher than 2m.

For many people the first plants which come to mind will be conifers. Leylandii Cypress are infamous for making enormous hedges which can be a problem both for the owners and their neighbours. If clipped closely twice a year they can make excellent hedges but it is common to see Leylandiis which have grown enormous, very tall and very thick, or both, and which will never look good again.

A similar plant, but one which is more attractive and has fragrant leaves is Western Red Cedar. This will also grow away rapidly if not tightly controlled. Both of these types of conifer will grow in poor conditions such as thin soils or a degree of shade. The best conifer hedges, and the most traditional, are undoubtedly Yews. These venerable plants have been used in formal gardens for centuries. They make close, dense hedges which can be clipped to shape. Their preference is for lighter, drier soils and they should not be considered for damp situations or heavy clay. They are slower growing than Leylandiis or Cedars but are readily available as large plants which will soon grow into each other. They are also more expensive.

There are broadleaved plants which make good hedges. Two varieties of Laurels, the common laurel and the Portuguese laurel, are frequently used. They both have large leaves which can look untidy after cutting – their edges tend to go brown for a while – but are tolerant of shade and a variety of soils. Portuguese Laurels have neater leaves and can be used in shallow, chalky soils where common laurels may not thrive. Smaller leaved plants such as Privet, Lonicera nitida and Escallonia
are commonly used in urban gardens. Privet will grow tall and is tolerant of most soils and situations although in the coldest regions it can lose it’s leaves in winter. Lonicera nitida is quick growing and can be tightly clipped though it has a habit of leaning or even collapsing when tall.

Of the many varieties of Escallonia, which have the advantage of attractive flowers, the variety rubra Macrantha is probably the best for hedges and is particularly good near the seaside where it withstands salt-laden winds. In this situation Griselina littoralis is also excellent. It clips well and is salt tolerant.

Box (Buxus sempervirens) makes an excellent hedge suitable for very close clipping and the smaller leaved box, Buxux microphylla, is also a good low hedge. Both are rather slow growing. Many other evergreens will make quite good low hedges but would not be suitable for blocking out a view.

There are good Holly hedges, but often plants are happy if not well grown and they may leave prickly dead leaves around the garden. Eleagnus, Euonymus, Pyracantha, Osmanthus, Bay, Berberis, Aucuba and Abelia will make good hedges under the right conditions. Ivy is available in the UK covering wire mesh panels 1.8m (6ft) high which can be used instead of fence panels to give thin evergreen screens.

Finally we should consider two cheap and effective plants which are not really evergreen but can be just as effective. Beech and Hornbeam are very good hedging plants and will keep their brown leaves through the winter if trimmed in late summer. They can form hedges which make equally effective screens as genuine evergreens but they are native and tough.

Conifers for Screening

There are many excellent conifers which will reach this kind of height and provide a good screen. Leylandii and Lawson Cypresses are the commonest in use. They both give excellent, quick growing dense hedges but will need to be well trimmed at least twice a year to give a dense hedge. They will both tolerate poor conditions although Lawsons need slightly acid soil. They should not be planted into permanently waterlogged ground. Other conifers such as Scots pine (Pinus Sylvestris) and Austrian pine (Pinus Nigra Austriaca) also make good, tough screens but they are generally more open trees. They will rarely provide a complete visual barrier.

Thujas also make very attractive large screens with leaves giving off an attractive smell. Thuja Plicata, Western Red Cedar, is also tolerant of shade and thin chalk soils.

Leylandii

Leylandii hedge has developed large brown patches. What can I do about them?

Hedges which had grown happily for many years develop brown areas which can vary from a few inches across to several feet. Hedge owners are then faced with a dilemma. Can the hedge be saved or improved or must it be removed entirely.

The Royal Horticultural Society suggests that there are two major reasons why these patches might appear – attack by aphids and fungal diseases. Damage caused by aphids develops in late spring and summer and is found more often at the base of hedges though it can develop at any height. The browning can develop long after the aphids have left the foliage. The RHS suggest that spraying can be effective if the aphid attack is caught early and that some regrowth of new green shoots is possible. As a general rule however growth of new green shoots on brown conifers stems is slow if it happens at all. The Cypress aphid also affects Thuja (Western Red Cedar) and Lawson Cypress.

Fungal disease is also a common cause of brown patches. Over enthusiastic hedge trimming, especially at times when a hedge is stressed, may increase the likelihood of die-back. They suggest that trimming in April, June and August is safer than in autumn. They especially suggest that you don’t trim in hot or dry periods or in the autumn and that you never cut into old wood but only trim the outside growth. By old wood they mean thicker stems deeper into the body of the hedge. Feeding and mulching of the hedge in late winter, in preparation for spring growth, is recommended.

With an established hedge there may be nothing significant to be done to remove the brown patches and it could be necessary to take the plants out entirely. To replace the removed plants can be a difficult matter as the roots of an old hedge will be extensive and they will have removed most of the nutrients from the ground for quite an area around. Full removal of the stumps and replacement of the surrounding soil is the most likely way to provide a decent environment for a new hedge to grow. This might need the use of a mini-digger and is likely to involve professional landscapers. As replacements you should consider tough evergreen hedges such as Laurels, Portuguese Laurels or Western Red Cedar which would grow relatively quickly. Ivy screens are an option where an instant evergreen fencing/hedging solution is needed which will stay at around 2m high. Yews may also thrive and provide excellent formal hedges long into the future.

Leylandii  Cypress for hedging? Is it a risk to use it?

The Leylandii Cypress ( Cupressocyparis Leylandii is its Latin name) is a cross between two other species of conifer and is a classic example of hybrid vigour that are used to create beautiful hedges which are excellent screens. It is a very fast growing plant, indeed the fastest evergreen with the exception of some Eucalyptus species. Even in poor conditions, such as thin chalky conditions and exposure to coastal winds, it is capable of decent growth. It can even tolerate a certain amount of shade. A healthy Leylandii Cypress can make several feet of growth a year. To contain it as a hedge needs ideally three sessions of trimming a year, in late spring, summer and early autumn. This is partly because it grows so fast but also because it will not grow again from the older, brown wood. Only the fresh green growth can be clipped effectively and this is at the end of all the branches. It is however possible to maintain a decent, though not perfect, hedge by twice yearly clipping. Anything less and gaps will start to appear at the bottom of the plants which will then look less attractive and stop working so well as a hedge.

Leylandii have also frequently been used as screening. They are easily capable of forming a dense line of trees 15metres (50ft) high in reasonable conditions of soil and exposure. As with hedges, this can cause difficulties with neighbours and local authorities who may resent their overbearing effects and the loss of light and view which results. There have been many disputes between neighbours in the UK, several resuting in expensive law suits. The result has been legislation so that it is now possible for Councils to require any evergreen boundary hedge or screen to be reduced to 2m high.

It is worth remembering that there are several alternatives to Leylandii which, though less vigorous, make very good substitutes. Western Red Cedar (Thuja plicata), Lawson Cypress (Chamaecyparis lawsoniana) and Yew (Taxus baccata) may substitute well depending on the situation. In addition there are many non-coniferous evergreen hedges such as Laurel (Prunus laurocerasus) which thrive in similar conditions to Leylands.

Beech and Hornbeam hedging- "How do I keep the leaves on through winter?"

The answer to this is very straightforward. Trimming should be undertaken in late summer in order to maximise the number of leaves retained during the winter.

Leylandii

Leylandii hedge has developed large brown patches. What can I do about them?

Hedges which had grown happily for many years develop brown areas which can vary from a few inches across to several feet. Hedge owners are then faced with a dilemma. Can the hedge be saved or improved or must it be removed entirely.

The Royal Horticultural Society suggests that there are two major reasons why these patches might appear – attack by aphids and fungal diseases. Damage caused by aphids develops in late spring and summer and is found more often at the base of hedges though it can develop at any height. The browning can develop long after the aphids have left the foliage. The RHS suggest that spraying can be effective if the aphid attack is caught early and that some regrowth of new green shoots is possible. As a general rule however growth of new green shoots on brown conifers stems is slow if it happens at all. The Cypress aphid also affects Thuja (Western Red Cedar) and Lawson Cypress.

Fungal disease is also a common cause of brown patches. Over enthusiastic hedge trimming, especially at times when a hedge is stressed, may increase the likelihood of die-back. They suggest that trimming in April, June and August is safer than in autumn. They especially suggest that you don’t trim in hot or dry periods or in the autumn and that you never cut into old wood but only trim the outside growth. By old wood they mean thicker stems deeper into the body of the hedge. Feeding and mulching of the hedge in late winter, in preparation for spring growth, is recommended.

With an established hedge there may be nothing significant to be done to remove the brown patches and it could be necessary to take the plants out entirely. To replace the removed plants can be a difficult matter as the roots of an old hedge will be extensive and they will have removed most of the nutrients from the ground for quite an area around. Full removal of the stumps and replacement of the surrounding soil is the most likely way to provide a decent environment for a new hedge to grow. This might need the use of a mini-digger and is likely to involve professional landscapers. As replacements you should consider tough evergreen hedges such as Laurels, Portuguese Laurels or Western Red Cedar which would grow relatively quickly. Ivy screens are an option where an instant evergreen fencing/hedging solution is needed which will stay at around 2m high. Yews may also thrive and provide excellent formal hedges long into the future.

Leylandii  Cypress for hedging? Is it a risk to use it?

The Leylandii Cypress ( Cupressocyparis Leylandii is its Latin name) is a cross between two other species of conifer and is a classic example of hybrid vigour that are used to create beautiful hedges which are excellent screens. It is a very fast growing plant, indeed the fastest evergreen with the exception of some Eucalyptus species. Even in poor conditions, such as thin chalky conditions and exposure to coastal winds, it is capable of decent growth. It can even tolerate a certain amount of shade. A healthy Leylandii Cypress can make several feet of growth a year. To contain it as a hedge needs ideally three sessions of trimming a year, in late spring, summer and early autumn. This is partly because it grows so fast but also because it will not grow again from the older, brown wood. Only the fresh green growth can be clipped effectively and this is at the end of all the branches. It is however possible to maintain a decent, though not perfect, hedge by twice yearly clipping. Anything less and gaps will start to appear at the bottom of the plants which will then look less attractive and stop working so well as a hedge.

Leylandii have also frequently been used as screening. They are easily capable of forming a dense line of trees 15metres (50ft) high in reasonable conditions of soil and exposure. As with hedges, this can cause difficulties with neighbours and local authorities who may resent their overbearing effects and the loss of light and view which results. There have been many disputes between neighbours in the UK, several resuting in expensive law suits. The result has been legislation so that it is now possible for Councils to require any evergreen boundary hedge or screen to be reduced to 2m high.

It is worth remembering that there are several alternatives to Leylandii which, though less vigorous, make very good substitutes. Western Red Cedar (Thuja plicata), Lawson Cypress (Chamaecyparis lawsoniana) and Yew (Taxus baccata) may substitute well depending on the situation. In addition there are many non-coniferous evergreen hedges such as Laurel (Prunus laurocerasus) which thrive in similar conditions to Leylands.

Which is the best way and the best time to cut it?

There are two main reasons to keep a hedge trimmed – to make it look attractive and to make sure it grows dense. If you plant hedging plants and then leave them to grow without regular clipping you are likely to get a very leggy hedge with light between the individual plants. Left long enough, like a farm hedge that has not been cut for years, it will eventually stop being a hedge and become a row of taller trees and smaller shrubs. As such it is not likely to act as an effective physical or visual barrier.

There are several methods of trimming hedges depending on the plant varieties used. For newly planted hedges some species such as blackthorn, hawthorn and privet can be reduced to around 10cm immediately after planting. This helps to ensure that they will branch from low down and make thick formal hedges. Most other deciduous plants are best reduced by around a third in the autumn after planting. To keep a hedge growing densely the main leaders of deciduous plants can be cut back in the following years and the side shoots shortened a little. The principle is to make the shoots on the plants divide frequently to give dense growth and this is best done by frequent trimming. In general the more frequent the trimming the denser and more formal the hedge. Once a hedge has reached the size you want the trick is to cut new growth just outside the basic framework of the hedge allowing a small amount of new growth to be retained.

Conifers are not normally pruned until they have reached the desired height of the hedge. They can then be trimmed several times each growing season if you have the time and patience. Along with privet and lonicera nitida (shrubby honeysuckle) leyland cypresses develop their best form if clipped in late spring, midsummer and autumn. Some other evergreens such as box, lawson cypress, holly and yew do best with a midsummer and autumn cut whereas cherry laurel, oleaster and lavender should be pruned once in autumn.
There are other details to keep in mind. If you want the leaves on your beech or hornbeam to stay on through the winter, which many people do to maintain a visual barrier, they should be pruned in late summer. Hedges of laurel, holly or other broad leaved evergreen plants should ideally be cut with secateurs. If you cut them with shears you will produce unattractive brown edges on the cut leaves. Tall formal hedges should be cut to be a little wider at the bottom than at the top. This stops the bottom becoming brown, adds to the stability of the hedge ( some tall hedges such as lonicera nitida have a habit of starting to lean when they are more than 1.5m high) and reduces the likelihood of snow pulling the hedge apart.

There are many other details to maintaining a good hedge. I would recommend the RHS booklet called simply “hedges” by Michael Pollock (ISBN 0 7513 47280) as a very good introduction to the subject.

"Now that my hedge is planted how should I look after it?"

The answer to this question depends on the type of hedge you have planted and how formal or informal you would like it to be. For a good formal hedge you will need dense branches from low down near the ground. This may not be so necessary for informal or country hedges unless they are required to keep animals out (or in). Some plants needed for a formal hedge can be pruned when they are planted to just a few inches above the ground. This will encourage them to become bushy and dense. Hawthorn and privet respond well to this. Other deciduous plants (those which lose their leaves in the winter) should be reduced in height by around a third during the first autumn after planting. On the other hand most evergreens, including conifers, and plants for less formal hedges are best left until the plants have started to make vigorous growth before they are reduced in height.

As the hedge grows it will need regular trimming. If hedging plants are simply left after planting without any trimming an open, loose hedge will usually develop – more a row of individual plants than a knitted together barrier. This would rarely serve the purposes for which we grow hedges, usually as boundaries or visual screens. Trimming a hedge generally helps it to thicken up by encouraging the branches to divide.

For formal hedges trimming should be fairly frequent, generally several times a year during spring, midsummer and autumn. However some such as Cherry laurel and lavender are better trimmed in autumn only. All formal hedges will need cutting back to a basic structure to limit their growth without going in to the old, brown wood at the centre of the plants. Most can be trimmed with electric trimmers or hand shears but evergreens with large leaves such as holly and laurel should be cut with secateurs to prevent ugly brown edges on cut leaves.

Informal hedges tend to need less pruning but may take up more of your garden. Once a year will probably be enough and you will need to know a little about the plant’s special characteristics in order to make a good job of it. For instance plants which flower attractively often need pruning after flowering, forsythia or escallonia are examples, whereas those with attractive stems may need hard pruning in the spring.

When your hedge is nearing its final height, and this should not be so tall as to make trimming difficult or dangerous, you will need to adjust your cutting. Generally you can let the top get about 6-12inches above the height you want it and then trim the top back to 6-12inches below its ideal height. This leaves a little scope for it to grow and be cut each year. Remember that in the UK neighbours and the local authority can object to evergreen hedges higher than 2m and you may be required to cut it back to this height.

Formal hedges should be clipped to ensure that their widths are greater at the bottom than the top to allow light to the bottom of the plants and healthy growth throughout. Additionally some formal evergreen hedges may be given pointed tops to prevent heavy snowfalls from pulling them out of shape

Leylandii

Leylandii hedge has developed large brown patches. What can I do about them?

Hedges which had grown happily for many years develop brown areas which can vary from a few inches across to several feet. Hedge owners are then faced with a dilemma. Can the hedge be saved or improved or must it be removed entirely.

The Royal Horticultural Society suggests that there are two major reasons why these patches might appear – attack by aphids and fungal diseases. Damage caused by aphids develops in late spring and summer and is found more often at the base of hedges though it can develop at any height. The browning can develop long after the aphids have left the foliage. The RHS suggest that spraying can be effective if the aphid attack is caught early and that some regrowth of new green shoots is possible. As a general rule however growth of new green shoots on brown conifers stems is slow if it happens at all. The Cypress aphid also affects Thuja (Western Red Cedar) and Lawson Cypress.

Fungal disease is also a common cause of brown patches. Over enthusiastic hedge trimming, especially at times when a hedge is stressed, may increase the likelihood of die-back. They suggest that trimming in April, June and August is safer than in autumn. They especially suggest that you don’t trim in hot or dry periods or in the autumn and that you never cut into old wood but only trim the outside growth. By old wood they mean thicker stems deeper into the body of the hedge. Feeding and mulching of the hedge in late winter, in preparation for spring growth, is recommended.

With an established hedge there may be nothing significant to be done to remove the brown patches and it could be necessary to take the plants out entirely. To replace the removed plants can be a difficult matter as the roots of an old hedge will be extensive and they will have removed most of the nutrients from the ground for quite an area around. Full removal of the stumps and replacement of the surrounding soil is the most likely way to provide a decent environment for a new hedge to grow. This might need the use of a mini-digger and is likely to involve professional landscapers. As replacements you should consider tough evergreen hedges such as Laurels, Portuguese Laurels or Western Red Cedar which would grow relatively quickly. Ivy screens are an option where an instant evergreen fencing/hedging solution is needed which will stay at around 2m high. Yews may also thrive and provide excellent formal hedges long into the future.

Leylandii  Cypress for hedging? Is it a risk to use it?

The Leylandii Cypress ( Cupressocyparis Leylandii is its Latin name) is a cross between two other species of conifer and is a classic example of hybrid vigour that are used to create beautiful hedges which are excellent screens. It is a very fast growing plant, indeed the fastest evergreen with the exception of some Eucalyptus species. Even in poor conditions, such as thin chalky conditions and exposure to coastal winds, it is capable of decent growth. It can even tolerate a certain amount of shade. A healthy Leylandii Cypress can make several feet of growth a year. To contain it as a hedge needs ideally three sessions of trimming a year, in late spring, summer and early autumn. This is partly because it grows so fast but also because it will not grow again from the older, brown wood. Only the fresh green growth can be clipped effectively and this is at the end of all the branches. It is however possible to maintain a decent, though not perfect, hedge by twice yearly clipping. Anything less and gaps will start to appear at the bottom of the plants which will then look less attractive and stop working so well as a hedge.

Leylandii have also frequently been used as screening. They are easily capable of forming a dense line of trees 15metres (50ft) high in reasonable conditions of soil and exposure. As with hedges, this can cause difficulties with neighbours and local authorities who may resent their overbearing effects and the loss of light and view which results. There have been many disputes between neighbours in the UK, several resuting in expensive law suits. The result has been legislation so that it is now possible for Councils to require any evergreen boundary hedge or screen to be reduced to 2m high.

It is worth remembering that there are several alternatives to Leylandii which, though less vigorous, make very good substitutes. Western Red Cedar (Thuja plicata), Lawson Cypress (Chamaecyparis lawsoniana) and Yew (Taxus baccata) may substitute well depending on the situation. In addition there are many non-coniferous evergreen hedges such as Laurel (Prunus laurocerasus) which thrive in similar conditions to Leylands.

Restoring my old hedge to its former state- "Is it possible?"

A well maintained hedge can last for centuries. Indeed old boundary hedges in Britain may be over a thousand years old. But modern garden hedges are often created from a range of exotic plants and may not look good when they get old. They become too thick, gappy, full of weeds or diseased and you may be faced with the options of removing them or trying to restore them to a more useful and attractive state. So just what kind of restoration is possible.

For most conifers the possibilities are limited. When old they are usually green on the outside but the inside of them is brown, old wood. With the exception of Yew these old conifers will not re-grow if you cut back into the brown branches. They will remain brown and an eyesore. Yew however is capable of growing from brown, unpromising wood although decent regrowth may take a year or two. To restore such a Yew Hedge it is recommended to undertake the job over a couple of years cutting back one side at a time. The best time to undertake this is in spring when evergreens tend to be less active. Start near the base on one side of the hedge and move upwards cutting inside the desired final shape to allow the hedge to grow to its final shape. After this pruning the hedge should be given a dressing of general fertiliser and a mulch of organic matter to help it to recover from the works. There is no point in attempting this with a Leyland Cypress or other conifer as new shoots will not grow from the old brown wood that severe cutting will expose.

There are many other evergreen hedges which can take quite severe pruning. For instance Escallonia, Holly, Laurel and Privet can recover from fairly severe pruning in mid to late spring. They will also benefit from a feed and mulch to encourage regrowth. When reshaping remember it is normal to create hedges, especially evergreens, which are a little wider at the top than the bottom. This allows extra light to the base of the hedge which is usually more often in shadow.

Deciduous hedging plants such as the traditional Hawthorn, Beech or Blackthorn can take very severe reduction. Indeed the classic way of keeping farm boundaries as effective barriers to cattle and sheep is to lay them during the winter. This involves cutting deep into the main shoots of the plants near their bases and bending them over. They will regrow as a denser hedge than before they were cut. This is rarely appropriate for garden hedges however where a visual and practical barrier is normally needed throughout the year. It is worth noting that these plants will take any amount of reduction even down to ground level if needed. The general principle is to reduce the height and width of the old hedge to a foot or two inside the desired final height and width. The regrowth can then be trimmed each year to the shape needed

Hedges thrive on annual or more frequent clipping. This keeps the individual shoots and branches dividing from their bases instead of their ends. The result is a denser hedge restricted to the shape you want. If you leave the hedge for a year or two between cuts it will soon become a row of individual plants instead of a dense, well knitted hedge.
Yew hedges- “We have an old one which is now well over a metre thick. it is taking up too much of the garden. how can we reduce its thickness?”
Yews make wonderful hedges which can last for a very long time. However if they are not closely trimmed they may gradually become thicker and need reducing. Yew, unlike many other conifers, will generally tolerate quite heavy pruning back into old wood. If you were to try this on Leyland or Lawson Cypress you might find that no new growth would spring from this old wood.

For all evergreens spring is a good time to attempt this work when the plants are starting into vigorous growth. For very severe cutting back it is usually advised to cut back one side in the first year and the other side in the next year. This gives the plants more time to recover. It is generally worth leaving the hedge a little wider at the bottom than the top to allow more light to these darker areas.

After the work it is a good idea to mulch the ground around the bottom of the hedge and to give it a feed to encourage its recovery. In succeeding years the hedge can be pruned as normal.

Leylandii

Leylandii hedge has developed large brown patches. What can I do about them?

Hedges which had grown happily for many years develop brown areas which can vary from a few inches across to several feet. Hedge owners are then faced with a dilemma. Can the hedge be saved or improved or must it be removed entirely.

The Royal Horticultural Society suggests that there are two major reasons why these patches might appear – attack by aphids and fungal diseases. Damage caused by aphids develops in late spring and summer and is found more often at the base of hedges though it can develop at any height. The browning can develop long after the aphids have left the foliage. The RHS suggest that spraying can be effective if the aphid attack is caught early and that some regrowth of new green shoots is possible. As a general rule however growth of new green shoots on brown conifers stems is slow if it happens at all. The Cypress aphid also affects Thuja (Western Red Cedar) and Lawson Cypress.

Fungal disease is also a common cause of brown patches. Over enthusiastic hedge trimming, especially at times when a hedge is stressed, may increase the likelihood of die-back. They suggest that trimming in April, June and August is safer than in autumn. They especially suggest that you don’t trim in hot or dry periods or in the autumn and that you never cut into old wood but only trim the outside growth. By old wood they mean thicker stems deeper into the body of the hedge. Feeding and mulching of the hedge in late winter, in preparation for spring growth, is recommended.

With an established hedge there may be nothing significant to be done to remove the brown patches and it could be necessary to take the plants out entirely. To replace the removed plants can be a difficult matter as the roots of an old hedge will be extensive and they will have removed most of the nutrients from the ground for quite an area around. Full removal of the stumps and replacement of the surrounding soil is the most likely way to provide a decent environment for a new hedge to grow. This might need the use of a mini-digger and is likely to involve professional landscapers. As replacements you should consider tough evergreen hedges such as Laurels, Portuguese Laurels or Western Red Cedar which would grow relatively quickly. Ivy screens are an option where an instant evergreen fencing/hedging solution is needed which will stay at around 2m high. Yews may also thrive and provide excellent formal hedges long into the future.

Leylandii  Cypress for hedging? Is it a risk to use it?

The Leylandii Cypress ( Cupressocyparis Leylandii is its Latin name) is a cross between two other species of conifer and is a classic example of hybrid vigour that are used to create beautiful hedges which are excellent screens. It is a very fast growing plant, indeed the fastest evergreen with the exception of some Eucalyptus species. Even in poor conditions, such as thin chalky conditions and exposure to coastal winds, it is capable of decent growth. It can even tolerate a certain amount of shade. A healthy Leylandii Cypress can make several feet of growth a year. To contain it as a hedge needs ideally three sessions of trimming a year, in late spring, summer and early autumn. This is partly because it grows so fast but also because it will not grow again from the older, brown wood. Only the fresh green growth can be clipped effectively and this is at the end of all the branches. It is however possible to maintain a decent, though not perfect, hedge by twice yearly clipping. Anything less and gaps will start to appear at the bottom of the plants which will then look less attractive and stop working so well as a hedge.

Leylandii have also frequently been used as screening. They are easily capable of forming a dense line of trees 15metres (50ft) high in reasonable conditions of soil and exposure. As with hedges, this can cause difficulties with neighbours and local authorities who may resent their overbearing effects and the loss of light and view which results. There have been many disputes between neighbours in the UK, several resuting in expensive law suits. The result has been legislation so that it is now possible for Councils to require any evergreen boundary hedge or screen to be reduced to 2m high.

It is worth remembering that there are several alternatives to Leylandii which, though less vigorous, make very good substitutes. Western Red Cedar (Thuja plicata), Lawson Cypress (Chamaecyparis lawsoniana) and Yew (Taxus baccata) may substitute well depending on the situation. In addition there are many non-coniferous evergreen hedges such as Laurel (Prunus laurocerasus) which thrive in similar conditions to Leylands.

Ivy on a large tree, should I remove it?

There has always been a lot of controversy about the effect of Ivy on trees and whether it is a good idea to remove it or not. In the end your decision may depend on what you want from your tree – a classic uncluttered shape or a wildlife habitat and a more natural, woodland appearance.

Ivy is a native, evergreen climber able to thrive in very low light levels such as often exist on the woodland floor or underneath the canopy of a tree. It uses a tree as a means of support, a way of climbing from the darkness at the ground to the relatively higher light levels at the top of trees. When it arrives there it changes form and starts to produce differently shaped leaves as well as flowers and seeds. In the process it does not generally harm a healthy tree but may contribute towards removing light from the leaves of an old or dying tree. In addition some trees with lighter canopies, such as Ash, which let more light through may support larger Ivy plants but these are not expected to shorten the life of the tree. They may however make it more top heavy and likely to fall in a storm or they may disguise damage to the trunk or branches of a tree making it more dangerous. In woodland situations this may not matter but in private gardens, in parks or on roadsides consideration may need to be given to this. In addition you may feel that a tree covered in ivy does not look as good as one without.

Before taking the decision to remove Ivy from your tree however please consider that it creates an excellent wildlife habitat. As well as providing cover and food for a huge range of invertebrates (insects, spiders etc) it can give excellent roosting places to birds and bats, overwintering niches for butterflies and moths and, of course, nesting places for a range of birds.

if you decide to remove your Ivy it is generally done by cutting the plants low down. They rely entirely on their roots in the ground for nutrition, they do not take any from the tree, and so cutting the stems will kill the plant above. It will go dry and brown with time and can more easily be removed from the support of the tree.
To sum up, the decision on whether to remove the ivy will depend on what you want from your tree. If you want it for its form rather than its value as a habitat you may decide to remove the Ivy. In a woodland setting the choice is usually easier as the form of a tree grown in the relative open space of a park or garden is rarely achieved and you can appreciate the tree for its role in the woodland ecosystem.

What types of tree can I plant in a very damp corner of my garden?

It is possibly not easy to improve the drainage of this corner of your garden and that the dampness is more than just a wet patch for a few weeks of the year. For very small trees it is sometimes possible to improve things by raising some of the ground above the wet soil. For most trees however this is not practical.

There are common trees which will thrive in damp corners. Willows, alders and poplar hybrids are the most likely. A good book (such as the Hillier’s Manual of Trees and Shrubs – see question 6 above) will give you plenty of these to choose from and also let you have an idea of how high they may grow and what other conditions, such as wind exposure, they will put up with. There are other larger trees which will put up with, or even enjoy, permanent dampness. I include a list below. Beware however that some of these trees may finish up very high – again the Hillier’s Manual would give you some idea of the mature tree height.

For large trees whose height you wish to control it may be possible to prune their canopy regularly to keep them to your desired final size.

The following are good in these conditions – Red Alder, River Birch, Liquidamber, Black Gum, Caucasian wingnut, Scarlet Willow, Corkscrew Willow, Chinese Swamp Cypress, Dawn Redwood, Pond Cypress and Swamp Cypress.

Flooding

“My garden floods occasionally. can you recommend some trees which might thrive here and how to plant them to give them the best chance of survival?”

If you were to look at the question above, it addresses some of these problems and gives a list of trees which are suitable for wet ground. It is best to choose from these species to get reliable results. However some other species may survive brief floodings if they are planted to optimise their chances. For instance the Common Silver and River Birches, Hawthorn, Pin Oak , Rowan and Sitka Spruce are amongst these. Native Oak (Quercus robur) and Ash will tolerate some periods of dampness. To give any of them the best chance they should be planted with over half the rootball above the surrounding ground level. The soil can then be haunched up around the roots. This will allow essential air to reach the roots during periods of flooding. This planting system can be extended to planting the trees into raised mounds. The roots can grow out into the mounds helping to stabilise the trees in the long term. Without the mound many of the roots might die during extended flooding and the trees become unstable.

"Could you recommend some trees to give good Autumn Colour?"

Most people would start by looking at Acers, the maple family. Many give very good autumn colour, especially cultivars (cultivated varieties) of Acer palmatum. Hilliers Manual of Trees and Shrubs lists around sixty varieties many of which grow to be large shrubs or small trees. Amongst the more famous varieties for autumn colour are “Osakazuki” and “Senkaki” (also known as Sango Kaku). Larger Acers such as Acer platanoides , the Norway Maple, Acer griseum , the Paperbark Maple, Acer japonicum and our own native Field Maple, Acer campestre, may also produce spectacular colours.

Looking away from Acers, the following are all capable of wonderful colours,
Quercus alba, the white oak, a medium sized tree, Liriodendron tulipfera , the Tulip Tree is a large and vigorous tree, Liquidamber styraciflua , a large and beautiful tree not happy on thin chalky soils, Cercidiphyllum japonicum, the Katsura Tree, has many virtues, one of which its its autumn colour, Fraxinus excelsior “Jaspidea” is a large clone of our Common Ash with clear yellow autumn leaves, Cercis canadensis “Forest Pansy” is a large shrub with deep purple leaves turning red in autumn, and
Hamamelis x intermedia, the Witch Hazel is a shrub with many attractive varieties. The Clone “Diane” has particularly good autumn tones.

Exposed gardens- “What kinds of trees will thrive in these conditions and how should I stop them from blowing over after I plant them?”

There are many kinds of tree which are adapted to exposed conditions. I will assume that you are not subject to salt-laden winds from the sea which bring with them additional problems. Whichever type of tree you plant you will need to keep in mind that the drying effect of strong winds will make it even more important to ensure that your trees do not dry out during their first couple of years. After that they should have established a new, vigorous root system allowing them to survive some periods of dry weather.

The first place to look for wind-tolerant trees is the uplands of Britain. Here hawthorns (Crataegus), rowans (Sorbus), Ashes (Fraxinus) and birches (Betula) can thrive where others may not. Cultivated varieties similar to these are often therefore very tough indeed. Depending on your exact conditions some of the following are worth considering – you may wish to check your exact situation against those recommended in a textbook such as The Hillier Manual of Trees and Shrubs.

Crataegus Thorns such as the native Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) or the Cockspur Thorn (Crataegus x lavalleei) will thrive in very tough conditions and are available in several varieties.

Sorbus, these are available as Rowans (Sorbus aucuparia varieties), Whitebeams (Sorbus aria varieties), Swedish Whitebeams ( Sorbus intermedia) and indeed many others from mountainous areas of the world.

Betula The birches come in many hardy and attractive forms. Native species such as The Silver Birch (Betula pendula) and the White Birch (Betula pubescens) are tough and attractive but the White Birch can tolerate far damper ground. The Himalayan Birch (Betula utilis jacquemontii) and the Holland Birch (Betula ermanii) are both tough and renowned for their attractive bark.

Fraxinus Ashes such as our native species (Fraxinus excelsior) and some of its varieites can make large and attractive trees in difficult conditions.

Acer- our native Field Maple ( Acer campestre) and Sycamore varieties like Acer pseudoplatanus “Crimson King” can take most of the winds which would be thrown at them in our gardens.

Size of trees- "What do the sizes listed in catalogues mean?"

Trees (except conifers with no visible trunk which are often specified by height) in the UK are usually listed by trunk size and by size of container. For instance a tree listed as a 12-14 is a tree with a single stem. The girth (circumference of the stem measured 1metre above the ground level) is in the range 12-14cms. This girth is about three times the diameter of the trunk at this point. By happy coincidence, for quite a lot of these standard trees (a standard tree has a clear stem up to at least 1.8metres or 6ft with a formed head above) the height of the tree in feet is close to the girth in centimetres. So a 12-14cm girth tree is likely to have a height of around 12-14 feet. Of course this is not an absolute rule.

Sometimes trees are sold with several stems (called multi-stemmed) and these usually have an overall height listed in a catalogue instead of a girth.
Pot sizes are often given but it may be hard to imagine them. Start with the information that a standard bucket is around 10 litres. Trees in pots up to sizes of about 50 litres can often be moved by one strong person and up to around 75litres by two people. Large trees in pots bigger than this will usually need machinery to move, lift and plant them and may weigh a lot. For instance a specimen tree in a pot of 350litres may weigh in the range of 350kg.

To give some idea of pot sizes, a 70litre pot will usually be around 45cms high and 50cms diameter and a 250litre pot may be 65cms high and 70cms diameter.

How should I choose a fruit tree for my small garden?

November and the months until March are the perfect time to plant fruit trees. Now that the leaves are off the trees, and the ground is not too cold, roots can establish themselves without any burden of feeding the tree. And in northern latitudes fruit trees are all deciduous, they lose their leaves in the winter.

Why plant fruit trees? Apart from the fact that many are very beautiful they are also extremely useful and help us to make our personal contribution to reducing climate change. Fruit, or for that matter vegetables, grown on our own piece of land reduce CO2 emissions. Avoiding delivery from far flung orchards or distant countries means no use of oil and no greenhouse gases.

The range of fruit trees suitable for a garden is enormous. Most types of fruit, be they apples, pears, cherries, plums, damsons or gages have been grafted onto rootstocks to control their heights. This is a process where the top of the tree, above the graft, is the variety you want for its fruit but the bottom, below the graft, has been chosen for its vigour. The same variety, a Bramley apple for instance, may be available on very dwarf, dwarf, semi dwarf, semi vigorous or vigorous rootstock allowing you to choose the one which suits your garden best. In addition there are trees trained in the nursery to give different shapes such as cordons, espaliers, fans, stepovers and ballerinas. Cordons, fans and espaliers are trained flat to give small trees useful as a hedge or trained on a wall. Stepovers are so low that you can literally edge a garden bed with them and ballerinas give tall thin trees. Whichever form you choose is likely to be available in a huge range of apples. The other fruit, pears etc., are also likely to be available in a considerable number of varieties.

So how would you choose the type of fruit to suit you? This of course is a very personal matter. To consider only apples, there are lots of factors, starting with taste. This is entirely a personal matter but such issues as time of fruiting, ease of growing (some varieties are far more fussy and may need lots of spraying to produce decent crops – anathema to the organic gardener), whether dessert or cooking or both, ease of storage and pollination group should be considered. Get these wrong and you may have plenty of years to regret your mistake.

The best place to start is with a gardening book and one or more catalogues. There are many reliable nurseries with free catalogues of fruit trees which have been developed from ancient times to the present. But before you start looking at them you would be well advised to think about which varieties taste best. Then the finished size of the tree and lastly the pollination group. Some trees are self pollinating but most will need another tree flowering at the same time if they are to produce fruit. Some indeed, such as my Bramley, need two other pollinators flowering at the same time and these would usually have to be within around 100metres of my tree for the bees to travel between them. In towns or near orchards this is rarely a problem but with more remote gardens you may have to plant more than one tree to get decent amounts of fruit. Again a good book and a decent catalogue will help you out here.

After you have planted your tree don’t expect a crop for the first year. If it produces a small one you should probably remove it as soon as you see the fruit set and leave the tree to gather its strength during that first crucial year. Water it well in dry spells during the first couple of summers and get ready to wrestle with the joys of pruning. It is quite possible to get crops without pruning but better crops produced more frequently, ie yearly instead of every two years, are more likely if you learn the beginnings of the art. I would always recommend referring to the Royal Horticultural Society, www.rhs.org.uk, for books and information on the subject.

Fruit tree catalogues in the UK can be obtained from www.frankmatthews.com or www.kenmuir.co.uk. Googling will produce very many more fruit nursery addresses.

Leylandii

Leylandii hedge has developed large brown patches. What can I do about them?

Hedges which had grown happily for many years develop brown areas which can vary from a few inches across to several feet. Hedge owners are then faced with a dilemma. Can the hedge be saved or improved or must it be removed entirely.

The Royal Horticultural Society suggests that there are two major reasons why these patches might appear – attack by aphids and fungal diseases. Damage caused by aphids develops in late spring and summer and is found more often at the base of hedges though it can develop at any height. The browning can develop long after the aphids have left the foliage. The RHS suggest that spraying can be effective if the aphid attack is caught early and that some regrowth of new green shoots is possible. As a general rule however growth of new green shoots on brown conifers stems is slow if it happens at all. The Cypress aphid also affects Thuja (Western Red Cedar) and Lawson Cypress.

Fungal disease is also a common cause of brown patches. Over enthusiastic hedge trimming, especially at times when a hedge is stressed, may increase the likelihood of die-back. They suggest that trimming in April, June and August is safer than in autumn. They especially suggest that you don’t trim in hot or dry periods or in the autumn and that you never cut into old wood but only trim the outside growth. By old wood they mean thicker stems deeper into the body of the hedge. Feeding and mulching of the hedge in late winter, in preparation for spring growth, is recommended.

With an established hedge there may be nothing significant to be done to remove the brown patches and it could be necessary to take the plants out entirely. To replace the removed plants can be a difficult matter as the roots of an old hedge will be extensive and they will have removed most of the nutrients from the ground for quite an area around. Full removal of the stumps and replacement of the surrounding soil is the most likely way to provide a decent environment for a new hedge to grow. This might need the use of a mini-digger and is likely to involve professional landscapers. As replacements you should consider tough evergreen hedges such as Laurels, Portuguese Laurels or Western Red Cedar which would grow relatively quickly. Ivy screens are an option where an instant evergreen fencing/hedging solution is needed which will stay at around 2m high. Yews may also thrive and provide excellent formal hedges long into the future.

Leylandii  Cypress for hedging? Is it a risk to use it?

The Leylandii Cypress ( Cupressocyparis Leylandii is its Latin name) is a cross between two other species of conifer and is a classic example of hybrid vigour that are used to create beautiful hedges which are excellent screens. It is a very fast growing plant, indeed the fastest evergreen with the exception of some Eucalyptus species. Even in poor conditions, such as thin chalky conditions and exposure to coastal winds, it is capable of decent growth. It can even tolerate a certain amount of shade. A healthy Leylandii Cypress can make several feet of growth a year. To contain it as a hedge needs ideally three sessions of trimming a year, in late spring, summer and early autumn. This is partly because it grows so fast but also because it will not grow again from the older, brown wood. Only the fresh green growth can be clipped effectively and this is at the end of all the branches. It is however possible to maintain a decent, though not perfect, hedge by twice yearly clipping. Anything less and gaps will start to appear at the bottom of the plants which will then look less attractive and stop working so well as a hedge.

Leylandii have also frequently been used as screening. They are easily capable of forming a dense line of trees 15metres (50ft) high in reasonable conditions of soil and exposure. As with hedges, this can cause difficulties with neighbours and local authorities who may resent their overbearing effects and the loss of light and view which results. There have been many disputes between neighbours in the UK, several resuting in expensive law suits. The result has been legislation so that it is now possible for Councils to require any evergreen boundary hedge or screen to be reduced to 2m high.

It is worth remembering that there are several alternatives to Leylandii which, though less vigorous, make very good substitutes. Western Red Cedar (Thuja plicata), Lawson Cypress (Chamaecyparis lawsoniana) and Yew (Taxus baccata) may substitute well depending on the situation. In addition there are many non-coniferous evergreen hedges such as Laurel (Prunus laurocerasus) which thrive in similar conditions to Leylands.

"I have some in my garden which will only grow to around 15 or 20 feet. How should I choose the varieties?"

The trees to choose will of course depend on many variables not least of which are your own personal taste and the conditions in your garden. We can only give general guidelines to help you choose. Trees suitable for your conditions. Each garden is different but a good starting point to see what would thrive in yours is to check the plants which do well in your neighbours’ gardens. If a tree does well locally there is a good chance a similar one will do well in your garden unless your garden has very different conditions of shade, exposure, soil or dampness.

Which should I choose?
If you have not seen a tree which you like, or if you don’t know the name of one you have seen, then there are several starting points. Firstly there are several groups of trees which are especially good for small gardens or to provide trees which will only grow to 15-20 feet. These are Malus (apples and crab apples), Prunus (flowering cherries and related trees), Sorbus (rowans), Acers (maples) and Betula (birches). Within these groups is a huge selection of many of the most valuable small trees.

However, since the selection is so large, you will need to be pointed in the right direction to make your choice. If you don’t have the name of a particular tree you will need to either visit an arboretum or other public garden where trees are labelled for you to judge them or you will need to look the trees up in books or on the web. There are two outstanding books useful for judging trees (and indeed other plants as well).These are:

• The Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers published by the Royal Horticultural Society. This contains brief details of most of the most useful trees and garden plants and photos of a huge number of them. It costs around £30 but could save you from making all sorts of mistakes in choosing the wrong plants. It makes a wonderful present.
• The Hillier Manual of Trees and Shrubs which covers most of the plants in these categories commonly grown in gardens.
  The pocket edition costs around £15.

A useful source of information on the web to help you choose trees is
https://www.barcham.co.uk/trees

Leylandii

Leylandii hedge has developed large brown patches. What can I do about them?

Hedges which had grown happily for many years develop brown areas which can vary from a few inches across to several feet. Hedge owners are then faced with a dilemma. Can the hedge be saved or improved or must it be removed entirely.

The Royal Horticultural Society suggests that there are two major reasons why these patches might appear – attack by aphids and fungal diseases. Damage caused by aphids develops in late spring and summer and is found more often at the base of hedges though it can develop at any height. The browning can develop long after the aphids have left the foliage. The RHS suggest that spraying can be effective if the aphid attack is caught early and that some regrowth of new green shoots is possible. As a general rule however growth of new green shoots on brown conifers stems is slow if it happens at all. The Cypress aphid also affects Thuja (Western Red Cedar) and Lawson Cypress.

Fungal disease is also a common cause of brown patches. Over enthusiastic hedge trimming, especially at times when a hedge is stressed, may increase the likelihood of die-back. They suggest that trimming in April, June and August is safer than in autumn. They especially suggest that you don’t trim in hot or dry periods or in the autumn and that you never cut into old wood but only trim the outside growth. By old wood they mean thicker stems deeper into the body of the hedge. Feeding and mulching of the hedge in late winter, in preparation for spring growth, is recommended.

With an established hedge there may be nothing significant to be done to remove the brown patches and it could be necessary to take the plants out entirely. To replace the removed plants can be a difficult matter as the roots of an old hedge will be extensive and they will have removed most of the nutrients from the ground for quite an area around. Full removal of the stumps and replacement of the surrounding soil is the most likely way to provide a decent environment for a new hedge to grow. This might need the use of a mini-digger and is likely to involve professional landscapers. As replacements you should consider tough evergreen hedges such as Laurels, Portuguese Laurels or Western Red Cedar which would grow relatively quickly. Ivy screens are an option where an instant evergreen fencing/hedging solution is needed which will stay at around 2m high. Yews may also thrive and provide excellent formal hedges long into the future.

Leylandii  Cypress for hedging? Is it a risk to use it?

The Leylandii Cypress ( Cupressocyparis Leylandii is its Latin name) is a cross between two other species of conifer and is a classic example of hybrid vigour that are used to create beautiful hedges which are excellent screens. It is a very fast growing plant, indeed the fastest evergreen with the exception of some Eucalyptus species. Even in poor conditions, such as thin chalky conditions and exposure to coastal winds, it is capable of decent growth. It can even tolerate a certain amount of shade. A healthy Leylandii Cypress can make several feet of growth a year. To contain it as a hedge needs ideally three sessions of trimming a year, in late spring, summer and early autumn. This is partly because it grows so fast but also because it will not grow again from the older, brown wood. Only the fresh green growth can be clipped effectively and this is at the end of all the branches. It is however possible to maintain a decent, though not perfect, hedge by twice yearly clipping. Anything less and gaps will start to appear at the bottom of the plants which will then look less attractive and stop working so well as a hedge.

Leylandii have also frequently been used as screening. They are easily capable of forming a dense line of trees 15metres (50ft) high in reasonable conditions of soil and exposure. As with hedges, this can cause difficulties with neighbours and local authorities who may resent their overbearing effects and the loss of light and view which results. There have been many disputes between neighbours in the UK, several resuting in expensive law suits. The result has been legislation so that it is now possible for Councils to require any evergreen boundary hedge or screen to be reduced to 2m high.

It is worth remembering that there are several alternatives to Leylandii which, though less vigorous, make very good substitutes. Western Red Cedar (Thuja plicata), Lawson Cypress (Chamaecyparis lawsoniana) and Yew (Taxus baccata) may substitute well depending on the situation. In addition there are many non-coniferous evergreen hedges such as Laurel (Prunus laurocerasus) which thrive in similar conditions to Leylands.

Ivy on a large tree, should I remove it?

There has always been a lot of controversy about the effect of Ivy on trees and whether it is a good idea to remove it or not. In the end your decision may depend on what you want from your tree – a classic uncluttered shape or a wildlife habitat and a more natural, woodland appearance.

Ivy is a native, evergreen climber able to thrive in very low light levels such as often exist on the woodland floor or underneath the canopy of a tree. It uses a tree as a means of support, a way of climbing from the darkness at the ground to the relatively higher light levels at the top of trees. When it arrives there it changes form and starts to produce differently shaped leaves as well as flowers and seeds. In the process it does not generally harm a healthy tree but may contribute towards removing light from the leaves of an old or dying tree. In addition some trees with lighter canopies, such as Ash, which let more light through may support larger Ivy plants but these are not expected to shorten the life of the tree. They may however make it more top heavy and likely to fall in a storm or they may disguise damage to the trunk or branches of a tree making it more dangerous. In woodland situations this may not matter but in private gardens, in parks or on roadsides consideration may need to be given to this. In addition you may feel that a tree covered in ivy does not look as good as one without.

Before taking the decision to remove Ivy from your tree however please consider that it creates an excellent wildlife habitat. As well as providing cover and food for a huge range of invertebrates (insects, spiders etc) it can give excellent roosting places to birds and bats, overwintering niches for butterflies and moths and, of course, nesting places for a range of birds.

if you decide to remove your Ivy it is generally done by cutting the plants low down. They rely entirely on their roots in the ground for nutrition, they do not take any from the tree, and so cutting the stems will kill the plant above. It will go dry and brown with time and can more easily be removed from the support of the tree.
To sum up, the decision on whether to remove the ivy will depend on what you want from your tree. If you want it for its form rather than its value as a habitat you may decide to remove the Ivy. In a woodland setting the choice is usually easier as the form of a tree grown in the relative open space of a park or garden is rarely achieved and you can appreciate the tree for its role in the woodland ecosystem.

Garden trees and the UK law

We sometimes receive enquiries about the legal situation regarding trees in domestic gardens and try to give some basic guidance. The information given below is offered in good faith to cover some situations in the UK but we can’t guarantee that it will apply in all situations. Before taking any of these matters further please check with your local authority or a bona fide legal adviser.

1. Q A neighbour’s tree overhangs my garden, cuts off the light to my house and blocks my path. What can I do about it?
   A The first thing to know is whether the tree is covered by a Tree Preservation Order or is in a Conservation Area.. Permission from the Council may be needed in either case to undertake work on the tree so start by contacting the Tree Officer from your local authority. In civil law you can take back to the boundary line any branches that overhang your property from trees not covered by these restrictions. This can be done without informing your neighbour or gaining their permission but it is always better to let them know in advance. In law the timber removed belongs to the owner of the tree and should be offered to them. If you think that a tree blocks off light to your house or garden without overhanging your property then the problem becomes more complicated and you may have to take legal advice after you have spoken to the owner of the tree.
   Similar points apply to overhanging fruits which technically belong to the owner of the tree. However you have no right to insist that your neighbours clear up fallen leaves or fruit in your garden.

2 Q Do I need permission to cut down or prune a tree in my garden?
A Again you need to check whether the tree is covered by a Tree Preservation Order or is in a Conservation Area. Contact the Council Tree Officer to clarify this. You will also need permission from the landlord if you are in rented property. If you are in a newly built property trees in your garden may be covered by the original planning permission for up to five years so there may be restrictions as to what you can do.

3 Q My neighbour has a high evergreen hedge which is cutting out my light. Can I make him cut it down?

A The first thing to do of course is to discuss the options with the owner of the hedge. If this fails to produce the result you want then the local authority is empowered to adjudicate. You will need to approach them formally and to pay them a fee. They may dismiss the complaint or issue a formal notice of remediation to the hedge owner to remedy the situation. Usually this means a reduction of the height of the hedge to no less than 2 metres (about 6ft 6in). If the hedge owner doesn’t carry out the work the Council can prosecute, issue a fine, and undertake the works themselves and recover costs. Information on this process is available from
https://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/planningandbuilding/overgardenhedge
https://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/planningandbuilding/highhedgescomplaining

4 Q How can I get a Tree Preservation Order made
A This is a legal process which is decided and implemented by your local authority Tree Officers.

5 Q My neighbour has started to cut down a tree. Is he allowed to do this?
A If the tree is not protected (see question 2 above) then he won’t need permission unless –
a) the tree is on a joint boundary or access is needed to the adjoining property to undertake the works. Permission under civil law is then needed from the other party or
b) the tree is so large that the work, especially felling, poses dangers to land and property and would therefore require clearance under Health and Safety regulations.

6 Q What can I do if I see someone working on protected trees and I think that they may not have permission?
A Firstly don’t take the law into your own hands but approach the owner or tradesperson
politely and ask them whether they know whether the tree is protected and whether they have approached the local authority for permission to work on it. If the situation remains amicable ask whether you can see the written answer from the Council officer. If you don’t feel able to do this you can approach the Council tree officers directly to inform them about the situation. If it is out of work hours you should report the matter to the Council as soon as possible on a working day making as many notes of the details as possible. This might help if the Council decides to start a prosecution. You can also approach the police and ask to speak to the wildlife officer if you think that there may be danger to protected species or it is the bird nesting season.

Staking my tree- "How should I tackle this?"

Damage to a mature tree in my garden, is it possible to replace it?

Shade in a sunny position- "Could you suggest some trees to provide this?"

Small trees in an urban garden- "Is it safe to plant within 5m of the walls of my house or will I be risking subsidence when it becomes a large tree?"