It may be best to set up V-chip or other technology to block those annoying channels from getting through and causing distress.

I know that one time they suggested planting bradford pears or some nonsense and one of the forum members here went to teir message boards and gave compelling reasons not to. She had first hand knowledge since she had some bradfords of her own that she regret planting and then she got kind of ambushed by bradford pear lovers on that site.

Well, this one is 36 metres tall and with a trunk over a metre in diameter. "This person actually stated that the Leylands will only get 15-20' tall ... and only 4' wide" In those archaic unscientific measures, that's about right, if they left an extra "1" off the start, i.e. 115-120'. An easy typo!! And the width they cite is correct, for the trunk (but not the crown).

PS anyone contributing to their message board, feel free to send them a copy of this pic! I deliberately released it into public domain, in the hope that it'll get distributed freely as a warning to the world.
{{gwi:391258}}

Here's the trunk:
{{gwi:391351}}

Resin

Resin, what a monster!

I wonder if the people (designers) that get to speak on these shows actually get to say what they want ... or are they plopped into a situation where decisions are already made? I'm just remembering some comments from a local designer that appeared on one show and she commented that she did not have free reign.

Let's hope that's what happened to this poor slob (who is now suitably mortified by what got aired).

This is just typical of many of the HGTV shows. Every time I see one of the "landscape design" shows on that channel, I think the viewer would be better to do the opposite of everything they say. Those shows are AWFUL!!!

Quirky's V-chip advise made me laugh. There are a few good shows occasionally on than network, but they seem to be the exception.

I watched a program on a home improvement channel where several sets of landscapers competed for the chance to do a make-over. The one who won had a terrific hardscaping design, but I nearly wet myself on what he did to the landscaping end of it. Seas of mulch, bowling ball shrubs, little wooden bridges. It was perfect background for a putt-putt golf course and alls it needed was a gnome or two for good measure.

You will find misinformation abounds in media of every genre. Script writers and journalists aren't always gardeners. Sort of puts you in mind of that commercial where a man says, I'm not a doctor, but I play one on TV.

Even on medical or cop shows they have consultants or advisors from within the profession to make sure the procedures have some degree of accuracy. You would think that a home improvement channel would make sure they had folks on that knew what the heck they were talking about. There is a huge viewership for these programs, most of which are individuals that have little or no familiarity with the processes or the products - ie., non-gardeners - so accuracy, even if oversimplified seems appropriate. You don't see them giving out the same degree of misinformation on the home remodelling programs - why should they treat gardening with such a lack of care?

calliope, you made me laugh ( as did quirkyquercus and the V-chip remark), but I'm wondering if the lil' bridge, bowling ball hedges, and seas of wood chips are just bad taste? (garden gnomes - LOL). I, for one, don't like the makeovers with lots of "found art" (old toilets as planters and the like) and rusty kruft put into the yard along with the plants. I like it more natural though I do like some nice hardscape too.

Two Leylands I planted in western MD around 1977 are now nearly 70' tall and at least 30' wide. Both trunks over 2' dia at the base. Fortunately I planted these as specimens w/room to spread.

In fairness, maybe they used a dwarf cultivar but neglected to mention that.

The show that I can sometimes watch without throwing a fit is the Landscaper's Challenge where they have 3 designers draw up a plan and present it to the homeowner. Which in and of itself is interesting to watch and entertaining. The problem with that series is that out of the 3 designers, one of them will do something really really bad. And the homeowner always picks that one!

Actually the show that I get the most landscaping ideas from is actually not on HGTV or DIY but instead on ANIMAL PLANET.
Yes that's right. Animal Planet.
There is a show that comes on weekday mornings that I'm rarely able to watch called Backyard Habitat. It's aimed at attracting wildlife which is something I actually make an effort to avoid doing since I've found wild furry guests to my yard destroys my hard work then poops everywhere. But they usually use the lesser known native plants on that show which is a welcomed departure from the norm.

"In fairness, maybe they used a dwarf cultivar but neglected to mention that"

There aren't any dwarf Leylands!

Anyway, I don't think they deserve any fairness ;-)

Resin

Resin, thankyou so much for posting those photos. I've always heard how overgrown the Leylands could get, and actually saw a photo of one still growing in the front yard of a house in New York. It had spread even farther than the one in your photo. Most likely that was due to the NY tree not having as much competion from other nearby trees as I see the Leyland in your photos has.

The photo of the NY located Leyland did not show how tall it had grown or indicate the age of the tree. Instead the photo showed a person sitting on one of the tree's enormously large lower branches. The huge size of the tree's branches seemed to dwarf the appearance of the full grown person shown in the photo and sitting amid that tree's lower canopy branches.

Do you know how long ago the Leyland in your photos was planted?

Thanks!!

"Do you know how long ago the Leyland in your photos was planted?"

It was planted in 1906; I took the pic 21/9/2005, so 99 years in the pic.

Crown width in cypresses is at least partly determined by climatic conditions, so that probably also accounts for some of the difference with the one you saw. In my climate, they do tend toward narrow crowns.

Resin

"There aren't any dwarf Leylands!"

I knew that was coming.

"There aren't any dwarf Leylands!

Anyway, I don't think they deserve any fairness ;-)

Resin "

Both unsubstantiated claims with no hard evidence!
You surely can't be serious!
Not verified, and very improbable!
Not a safe assumption, and no evidence for it!
No reason why that should be at all!

JK ;-D

Yeah your right Resin, I don't think there are dwarf ones but there are slower growing cultivars such as 'Moncal' (Emerald Isle Leyland Cypress) which is reported to grow 30% less in growth rate from what I've read. It Grows pretty fast to around 20 or 30' (6-9m) then slows down and eventually reaches a height of 50 to 60 (15-18m) sometimes up to around 70 feet (21m) so it reaches about half of the common Leyland size.

People that buy Leyland Cypress trees better make sure they have lots of room unless they are going to regularly trim them, and in many places they are short lived, especially in places with hot summers which most will only live 20 or 25 years because of diseases and other problems. Also many of them can out grow their root system and they can have a tendency of blowing over when they reach a large size.

Perhaps the people living there were elderly. I've planted trees I love and just HAD to have - that will be a real problem in 40 years - but not my problem, if you get my drift, heheh!

LC don't always get huge. The state champion for Florida is about 10 m tall and 25 cm in diam. They are common here, have been cultivated for decades and are much slower, and smaller growing. Not a favorite conifer personally, but probably more useful in smaller landscapes here than anywhere else.

When i'm elderly if I don't like whichever of my prodigy is going to inherit my house I'm planting all the wrong trees in all the wrong places.

I've never seen any Leylands all that big either.
I think the biggest one I've seen is probably about 20' spread and 35' tall and been there for probably 15 years. The ones that are planted close together don't get that wide. Don't see a lot of old ones. Wonder why that is. Hmmmmph. LOL

Actually I think these things kind of grew in popularity here since the population boom after the olympics and all the new small lot subdivisions where there was a need for privacy barriers/ great wall of chinas and they became an overnight success.

The tree was planted 99 years ago? That is amazing. conditions must have been perfect for it to survive that long. Obviously the tree's roots gain strength by being interwined with the other trees growing near it.

It is also surprising that the LC in the photo did not die in years past from being attack by some bagworm or other pests

I have often wondered if, after 100 or so years, the Thuja 'Green Giants' that are planted only about 7-9 feet apart, would have continued to grow to heights like the LC seen in the above posted photo.

Yep, just about perfect for it - cool summers (which they like: too cool for Seiridium canker), mild winters, and no bagworms here.

Resin

I have to defend hgtv for their misinformation, when I bought my leylands the tag on them clearly says the tree will only get 20 ft. tall. So it is not hgtv's fault. they were only going by what the tag says

Resin, I still like that tree! Does show the luducrisnous of that suggested usage though.

+oM

It wasn't HGTV that made the statement, it was a professional "landscape designer", who should have enough plant knowledge to know better. Knowing plants involves a bit more than just reading plant tags, which are typically useless anyway and often do not provide mature size info but only a 10 year estimate. Suggesting Leylands as suitable screening trees for a 20'x50' brownstone backyard is just irresponsible. One tree could eat up a good portion of that space singlehandedly.

But being a 'landscape designer' is a self-titling profession anyway. Just goes to show you should investigate credentials carefully before hiring anyone that makes such assertions.