Can I / Should I plant two Leylandii?

[la vache!]

Enid?

[Fifi]

Sorry, gone totally mad

It's the thought of ironing a bezillion sheets when the sun is shining and I want to do gardening!

[pete]

Trees take a long time to grow, why not plant an attractive group of colourful shrubs nearby so your eye is distracted.

A group of shrubs would not be expensive and would grow quite quickly, typically I am thinking of ones that France uses to decorate roundabouts and town streets (well round here)

[vrooje]

I'm coming late to this thread and I'm a bit hesitant to post because I know almost nothing about gardening...

...but what about bamboo? There are lots of different types, and it grows very, very fast and basically straight up. It would cover up that pylon in no time.

[domino]

Sudden brain wave , what about planting a eucalyptus tree?
They grow really fast and have the benefit of being evergreen.

[vrooje]

Eucalyptus is an evergreen? I didn't know that. Probably shows I shouldn't be posting on a garden thread.

We have a few in our yard at home and I know two things about them:

• 1) They have a unique smell that I really like, and
  2) Their leaves are quite reactive and will stain a pool if they fall into the water and settle on the bottom. The stains eventually fade on a gunite pool bottom, but I don't know about other kinds of liners.

NC, do you have a pool? I can't remember... maybe #2 doesn't really matter in this case.

[Jimbo]

...but what about bamboo?

Bamboo is good in that it grows quickly, rustles attractively in the wind and was the first plant to re-grow following ground zero at Hiroshima. But the fast-growing ones can be invasive. At this time of year, our bamboo patch puts out large numbers of underground shoots that push up through the ground some distance from the original plants. Unless you cut these off immediately whilst they're soft, they quickly grow into formidable new plants - it's like a marching army. Once the shoots are severed, they don't grow back until the following year.

Environmental Bamboo Foundation says:
With a tensile strength superior to mild steel and a weight-to-strength ratio surpassing that of graphite, bamboo is the strongest growing woody plant on earth with one of the widest ranging habitats. It also grows the fastest: clocked shooting skyward at 2 inches an hour. Some species grow one and a half meters a day.

Jim

[Normandy Cow]

Thanks everyone for your suggestions!

Would bamboo grow tall enough? I wouldn't want a wide tree, and I don't think I've ever seen a tall thin bamboo - If I picture it in my head I have visions of it being blown over. This picture gives an idea of the scale of the problem pylon!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/85467002@N ... 1/sizes/o/

We don't have a pool, so eucalyptus stains would not be an issue.
Similar question to that for bamboo - does it grow tall and thin?

[Paul Carmel]

Is that it eye's left? If so, I don't think anyone would bat an eyelid, to me it just looks like part of the landscape.

[Jimbo]

Would bamboo grow tall enough?

No problem with height. Our bamboo grove is about 25 feet high. The more vigourous temperate species can reach 100 feet. One plant wouldn't be enough, you'd need a few to act as support for each other (remember bamboo is a grass, not a shrub). But bamboo is invasive, unless controlled (the prettier tropical bamboos aren't, but they're not hardy).

Jim

[CSE]

I personally cannot see why any of your guest would worry about that.
In a few years time the small trees next to the pole will cover it from view anyway.

[Normandy Cow]

Is that it eye's left? If so, I don't think anyone would bat an eyelid, to me it just looks like part of the landscape.

I think I'm the only one who is batting an eyelid! If that had been there when we bought the house I wouldn't have even noticed it. It's just that it wasn't there before...

Oh well, that's progress I guess.

I think I'll wait until the end of the year before I start planting any trees - maybe once we've been through the summer and the barn is hidden behind the foliage it will no longer seem so important!

[domino]

Hi NC
Some info I have found for you re. eucalyptus:-

Mature Height: 40 ft.
Mature Width: 10-12 ft.
Sunlight: Full or Partial
Soil Conditions: Adaptable
Drought Tolerance: Great

Can grow up to six feet per year.The dusty blue-green leaves of the Eucalyptus are refreshingly aromatic. The attractive, peeling bark also carries the familiar fragrance for use in closets, drawers, or anywhere you want to add a fresh scent.

No leaves to rake. It keeps its foliage year-round. So you enjoy color in the winter when all other trees are bare and brown.

Wonderful in flower arrangements, with its showy leaves. Plus its fresh, clean aroma will fill your home for days.

If you have pets... the Eucalypyus aroma naturally repels fleas and ticks away from your yard. For added protection, put some leaves under your pet's bed or in areas where they like to sleep.

We planted a small tree four years ago (under 4' high) , it now has a large trunk and tolerates being 'pollarded' with a chain saw every year (I like to keep the juvenile shaped foliage). That may give you an idea about how fast it can grow and how hardy it is. As with all trees dont plant close to buildings.

[CSE]

Hi NC
Some info I have found for you re. eucalyptus:-

You only have to say FIRE to these things and up they go.
Ask anyone who lives in Portugal, the coast of Galicia or Australia etc.

They are gorgeous to look at.

[domino]

I doubt thats a serious problem in Normandy, but maybe with global warming.....