Leighton Green

Leighton Green (Cupressocyparis leylandii 'Leighton Green') is the quickest way to put a tall evergreen wall along a boundary. Left untrimmed it runs to about 12m tall and 4m wide, but almost nobody grows it that way: clipped twice a year it holds anywhere between 2m and 6m, staying narrow enough for a suburban fence line. The foliage is fine, flat and mid green, dense enough to stop both a view and a good deal of wind. Planted 1.5m apart it closes into a solid screen in two to three seasons.

Why you'll love it

• Speed no other conifer matches. In good conditions it puts on close to a metre of height a year, which is why it has been the default privacy hedge for decades.
• You set the height. Two trims a year hold it at 2m over a fence, or 5m to 6m to screen a two storey house next door.
• Built for exposed sites. Wind tolerant and salt tolerant, so it works on coastal blocks and open rural boundaries where softer hedges shred.
• Cold and dry are both fine. Frost hardy for cold inland and southern gardens, and drought tolerant once established.

Where it works best

Boundary screening. Plant 1.5m apart in a single row. Closer spacing does not close the gap any faster, it just puts the plants into competition. A dense hedge along a busy road also takes the edge off traffic noise.

Formal hedging. The fine foliage takes a crisp face and holds a sharp edge, so it clips into a genuinely architectural hedge.

Windbreaks on rural blocks. A double staggered row at 1.5m spacing filters wind instead of blocking it, which is what an exposed paddock boundary needs.

Growing Leighton Green in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun for the densest growth. This is a hedge for cool temperate, warm temperate and Mediterranean gardens, so Victoria, Tasmania, the ACT, most of New South Wales, South Australia and southern Western Australia all suit it. In humid tropical and subtropical gardens it is a poor choice: wet heat brings fungal dieback and brown patches that never fill in. Northern gardeners are better served by a lilly pilly screen.

Soil, water and feed. Any reasonable soil, but drainage is not negotiable. On heavy clay, plant on a raised mound and work compost and gypsum through the whole trench. Mulch 75mm deep along the row. Deep soak twice a week through the first summer, then taper off, and feed with a complete slow release fertiliser in early spring and again in late summer.

Pruning. Trim lightly and often, twice a year, starting in the first season. Leylandii does not reshoot from bare old wood, so never cut back past green foliage: those cuts stay brown permanently.

What to expect when it arrives

It is grown in nine sizes. Tube stock and the multi packs, 140mm in tens, 200mm in sixes and 250mm in threes, are the sensible choice for a long boundary: they establish fast and the cost per metre is a fraction of advanced stock. The 300mm, 400mm and 500mm pots and the 45L and 100L sizes arrive already branched and carrying height, which suits a short run or an urgent privacy problem.

Plants are packed to travel upright and delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95 and a minimum order of $300 before delivery. Advanced and large stock is freighted at cost. Every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Compare hedging and screening plants
• Browse the full conifer range
• Preparing a planting trench before you start

Common questions

Can I cut it back hard if it gets too tall?

Not into bare wood. Leighton Green will not reshoot from old brown timber, so a hard cut leaves a permanent gap. Reduce it gradually within the green foliage, and start trimming early so it never gets away from you.

How much room does the hedge need?

Allow about a metre of width for a trimmed hedge, and set the row at least 600mm off the fence so you can get behind it. Untrimmed it spreads to around 4m.