Laylandii, Good or Bad?

[JohnM7456]

We recently moved to a new house that has a Laylandii hedge which is about 8ft tall and 6ft wide (trimmed flat across top) I am debating whether or not to dig it up as it is probably quite old. Before I do I would ask, does it serve any meaningful purpos to wildlife? would there be any birds nesting in it? or is it just a waste of space?

[ron1863]

It's all down to individual taste, personally I don't like it as it is rapid growing and blocks out light.
It also provides birds with shelter and nesting sights but is also a good place for burglars to hide behind.

[aeshna5]

These are a very fast growing hedge (normally needs trimming 3 times/year)- much maligned but often supporting nests of birds such as Blackbirds, Song Thrush, Greenfinch, Goldfinch + Collared Dove; often seen Goldcrests using them too.

They are support a limited array of invertebrates including a few moths. A native hedgerow would probably support more wildlife, but I would see what your current hedge supports first.

[LynM]

On our boundary there is a length of Leylandii and a couple of years ago the neighbour to whom it belongs had it professionally trimmed. We were all surprised to find that there was no evidence of nesting at any level of the hedge in spite of the fact that all our gardens here have many birds and people who feed them. It is used for shelter by the Blackbirds especially, plus the Robin and Dunnock, but they rarely stay for long. Yes, I have been fortunate enough to see a Goldcrest flitting about there on several occasions both before and after the trimming.

Unless you are desperate to get rid, I would endorse what aeshna says and give it a chance.

[Cheryl]

Until recently we have had three borders of our garden hedged by leylandii.

We have robins nesting in it and the thrushes and blackbirds forage under it and I've seen goldcrests, bluetitrs, coaltits, great tits flitting about picking up insects along it. I think we might have a pair of blackbirds nesting at the moment.

It is a fast grower and needs to be kept in check - we have had a problem with some kind of aphid and have suffered with a lot of die-back and leylandii dosn't grow back.

Unfortunately we have had to have one of our borders removed and are currently in the process of replacing it - but not with leylandii We really miss the hedge - apart from everything else it's a great screen from the neighbours

[Blackdogjnr]

I currently have nests in my leylandii, blackbird, dunnock and wren. So yes, they are useful.

I would argue that a native mixed hedgerow would support just as much wildlife in terms of shelter, with the added bonus of flowers nectar for inverts and also food (berries, hips and nuts) for birdies in the autumn and winter.

Sounds like a big job to remove it though ...

[Tursiops2]

Hi JohnM, welcome to WAB

I'm firmly in the anti-leylandii camp myself. They certainly have some value for wildlife, but not as much as a mixed native hedge, or even a single species hedge of, say, Hornbeam or Hawthorn. On the "pro" side, they make quick-growing windbreaks or screens, provide some shelter for birds and insects, and may attract particular species like Coal Tit or Goldcrest. On the "con" side, they support much less diversity than native tree species, they cast a dense shade and impoverish the soil beneath them, and are a frequent cause of neighbour disputes.

How long is your hedge? If it's practicable, and you have the budget for the job, and the patience to wait for any replacements to mature, I'd say get rid, but you will probably need to do some work improving the soil before you re-plant.

Any chance of a photo?
T2

[Digit]

We have a number of Leylandii hedges and Coal Tits, Gold Crests and even a pair of Tawny Owls have chosen them over the other trees. But there is one facet that has not been mentioned, wind break, or is that brake?
Locally it is very windy, the record is 106 mph! and until we planted Leylandii to calm the wind frost damage each year was considerable, we lost Hydrangeas one after another till the hedge on the windward side thickened.

Roy.