#Needle blight on leyland cypress full#

It is important to remember to diversify your screening plants. My personal favorite is Berberis julianae - Wintergreen barberry, it's drought tolerant, one of the hardiest evergreen barberries, can be severely pruned and it's two to three inch spines in groups of threes will stop anything in its tracts. If you looking for just a barrier, to impede traffic more so than a screen, try installing Chinese hollies or a barberry species. For these, consider choices like wax myrtle, taller varieties of Japanese hollies such as convexa or steed's, viburnums, cleyera and loropetalums. In many cases, smaller screens of 6- to 15-feet tall are sufficient. Other broadleaf evergreens that can be used for a screen of up to 25 feet tall are fragrant tea olive, Fortune's tea olive and loquat. In less restricted spaces, lusterleaf holly and Nellie R. Foster's holly is tall and narrow and would be good where width is an issue.

Hollies make a good screen plant, and most can tolerate either sun or partial shade. We are seeing those results now due to the last two years of dry weather.Īlso consider broadleaved evergreens for dense screens that also have flowers or berries for seasonal color. Both Arborvitae and Cryptomeria will not tolerate extreme drought conditions. Japanese cedar, also known as Cryptomeria, makes a good tall screen in partly shaded areas.

#Needle blight on leyland cypress full#

Green Giant arborvitae will work well in moist, well-drained sites in full sun. If you are looking for a tall, narrow conifer similar to Leyland cypress, consider an Arizona cypress for dry sites in full sun. Choosing well-adapted plant material for our environmental conditions will result in healthier plants and reduce disease and insect infestations. Planting a variety of species in groups of 3's, 5's or 7's helps to ensure that it is aesthetically pleasing to the eye. In looking for an alternative natural screen, it is best to consider using several different trees as a substitute. They also don't like 'wet feet,' so placing them in poorly drained soils increases rot root disease. Many people don't realize that Leyland cypresses can grow 60 to 70 feet tall, which can lead to the trees having to be drastically topped when planted under utility lines. They require full sun to grow well, so those placed in shady areas often look thin and week. Other problems seen in Leyland cypress occur because they are often seen as the one and only solution to all screening needs in the landscape. Certain insect infestations, such as bagworm and spider mites, have also become more and more common recently. Planting the trees too close together and planting them in unfavorable sites greatly increases the incidence and spread of disease. Leyland cypress trees are susceptible to a number of diseases, such as Seridium canker, Botryosphaeria canker, Cercosporidium needle blight and Phytophthora root rot. Unfortunately, increasing disease problems, improper plant placement and the continuous mass plantings of Leyland cypresses have all contributed to the need for alternative plant selection. Leyland cypress is one of the most popular plants used in the landscape as a natural screen.