A Super Fast Growing Ecergreen-the Leyland Cypress Tree

Whenever you build a new house, you look for some ornamental plants for landscaping that can also provide you the privacy. You will find various varieties of evergreen trees in a nursery, but some are which grow very fast and add beauty, to the entrance of your house or the parking lanes. Leyland Cypress Lelandii is one such tree, a slender evergreen tree that grows at the rate of about four feet in a year. Regular pruning of the tree will control the height of the tree. July is an ideal month when you can do pruning.

The tree has shallow roots, because of heaviness at the top, it tends to fall if grows too tall. The average height of Leyland Cypress Lelandii is about 50 feet; the height though may vary largely, it can even go beyond 100 feet. The growth of the plant depends on; the type of climate it grows in and the type of soil. The spread of an average tree is about one-third or one-fourth of its height. People also call these trees as “wall of privacy”, because these trees act as a screen obstructing the view and are excellent windbreakers. The tree finds its ornamental value as the Christmas tree also. These trees are a hybrid cross between Alaskan cedar and Monterey cypress.

The leaves of this evergreen and ornamental tree are needled and consist of flattened spray. You can grow Leyland Cypress Lelandii in rows but there must be a space of about six feet between two trees. This is so that the shallow roots of these fast growing trees do not fight for space and surrounding nutrients.

Of the 11 plating zones defined in the United States, the Leyland Cypress Lelandii grows well in the zones 6 to 10. In other USDA zones of planting, the tree needs protection from extreme cold as well as extreme heat. The trees need protection when there is snow and ice all around. The tree requires full sun and well-drained soil for proper growth. When the plants are small, it is easier to protect them as you can easily move them to the shady areas. The tree has a history of fine growth in the dryer areas of southwest. Therefore, if you are in zone 7 of USDA planting, you will have great time for its growth. As the tree can tolerate a wide variety of soils, it is common to find these trees on the seashores.

In lack of proper care, the trees become susceptible to canker and other diseases. To protect the plant from further damage, you must cut the infected parts of the plant. You must take care to dip the pruning equipment in rubbing alcohol, between each cut. This will sanitize the tools and prevent spreading of the disease.

Leyland Cypress Lelandii produces male cones that are yellow in color and oval. The tree also produces female cones that are round and brown in color. The cones are about half inch in diameter. The foliage of the tree is bluish green in color and it is smooth and feathery.