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Leyland Cons:
-deer eat them (I don't think this will be a problem in my yard), more prone to disease (Seiridium canker), and insects (bagworms)
Green Giant Pros:
-grow fast once established after first year, stronger root system to withstand higher winds and less likely to fall down, not as tasty to deer, not prone to as many diseases/insects as the Leylands
Green Giant Cons:
-not as full as leylands
I am considering planting both, and mixing it up. Might be kind of fun to see which ones do better, grow faster, etc. I'm thinking of planting them at least 8 feet apart, and a staggered formation.
I also want to plant some on a sloping hill out back, which I'm assuming might make planting/establishing more difficult?
My grandparents made the mistake of planting hundreds of Leyland Cypress along their property line. They started getting bugs in them, and once that starts there's no stopping it. Now there are gaps in places and some trees are still dying. In another decade nearly all of them will be gone.
The eastern red cedar, or Juniperus Virginiana? It looks like that is a very slow grower, which would take too long to reap the benefits of other privacy trees.
One year I bought several bucket loads of red cedars seedlings from the county ag extension office. They were about a foot tall and cost $1 apiece.
After I planted them they kind of hung around the first two years not doing a lot. The third year they shot up several feet. By the tenth year they were big size tree-shrubs. The survival rate I had for the little seedlings was better than 90%. Only lost a couple of them.
Total investment in planting about 150 feet of fence line--about 20 dollars.
The red cedars were very successful and low maintenance. Once they had rooted in they put out tremendous growth.
One year I bought several bucket loads of red cedars seedlings from the county ag extension office. They were about a foot tall and cost $1 apiece.
They kind of hung around the first two years not doing a lot (they were making roots, not foliage). The third year they shot up several feet. By the tenth year they were big size tree-shrubs. The survival rate I had for the little seedlings was better than 90%. Only lost a couple of them.
Total investment in planting about 150 feet of fence line--about 20 dollars.
The red cedars were very successful and low maintenance. Once they had rooted in they put out tremendous growth.
The eastern red cedar, or Juniperus Virginiana? It looks like that is a very slow grower, which would take too long to reap the benefits of other privacy trees.
They grow quickly here. Sometimes I put off getting rid of seedlings near my fenceline, and before I know it they have turned into a good size tree. The only reason I would say to avoid them is if there are apple orchards nearby (less than half mile), or you have apple trees in your yard, cedar apple rust MAY be a problem.
The eastern red cedar, or Juniperus Virginiana? It looks like that is a very slow grower, which would take too long to reap the benefits of other privacy trees.
they also grow quickly here, i cleared some of my yard last year for a pond, and there are already 3 or 4 of these trees that are about 1.5 feet tall that sprung up. i wouldnt plant a red cedar here because they are a very invasive plant in our area, but if you all don't have that problem then go for it, they are very ice resistant, which i cannot say is true for the green giant, many of them are still bent over from this past winter's ice storm. the leylands seemed to have faired a lot better, so if you all get a considerable amount of ice and/or snow, they may be a better option.
They look like an okay option, but I am in Virginia and I think they do not grow quickly enough. I would like to see some quicker growth for privacy reasons.
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