phooey,that link didn't work for me. We had three tall large houses built right next to us a few yrs ago but fortunately we had already been planting trees to block the view to that next door property.My first advice is that you decide from what viewing places you need the screen to be effective. From a raised window in your house?and/or from your backyard? What you need the screen to cover will dictate what kind of screen to plant. For instance, we needed to block the view of these large houses(raised up, no less, and pretty close by)from both indoor windows and the ground level of our back yard and driveway.We already had a 6' stockade fence but that was not high enough to do any house screening.We planted a series of mid sized trees that had canopies that blocked from where the 6'H fence stopped, up another 15'+.(We didn't want v.tall trees that would throw too much shade on our property.) Acer negundo Winter Lightning is a great one for us. Acer negundos are WICKED fast growers, and this cultivar has bright yellow foliage and lightning yellow winter stems.We used kwanzan cherries, ppl leaf plum, and j. maples as well, w/ a few conifers interspersed, but none of those are 'fast growers'. I'm thinking a solid tall fast growing hedge on your side of the fence, and the medium size, good canopy trees on the far side of the fence- that would block the view above the hedge . Salix are very fast growers as well, and many of them would love the wet gully. best, mindy The Cotton-Arbo retum

Leylands that don't grow? Now that's very unusual. ;-) Given the fact that you already have the trees in the ground for several years, I for one would be hard pressed to pull them out unless I was absolutely certain that the tree was wrong for the site. That is just far too much root growth to waste. Remember, foliage growth is dependent upon root growth. I promise you that most of the important growth has already happened under ground, where it really counts! It's the root growth that takes time. Foliage growth is simply the icing on the cake (from a biological perspective, that is). ;-) Before removing these trees, I would certainly contact a nursery that employs a certified arborist on staff and consult with them. They have always been worth the reasonable fees whenever I have used them. (And, yes, we are all on a first name basis.) Here is a site maintained by a commercial x-mas tree grower who specializes in Virginia Pines & Leylands with gobs of good info. (Remember, these people can not afford to be wrong). http://74.125.95.132/search?q=cache:_Aii1NSxYl4J:www.bugwood.org/christmas/97012.html+leyland+soil+conditions&cd=2&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us&client=firefox-a Leylands and I get along well, so here are a few thoughts. First, check for diseases or pests - especially cankers. This would be the most logical cause. The next logical cause would be a problem with the root system. Leylands are pretty durable but do not like standing water. Still, is this was the problem the result should be a dead tree, not a stilted one. It is doubtful that this lack of growth problem could be caused by a lack of sunlight in only partially shady locations. Unfortunately, I do not know from experience the effect of heavy shade on the growth of Leylands. Another poster has said that theirs does well. This makes sense to me as the real problem with Leylands is typically how to control their almost violent growth, not to stimulate it. There is one clue you gave which could explain the problem. "One tree has grown, maybe, 6 inches in 3 years--and that only happened because last year I watered it 2x daily." That's really too much water for a Leyland. I'm surprised that you didn't drown the poor thing. ;-) Given this statement, my next guess is that the problem is due to a lack of adequate fertilization. Watering itself has a fertilizing effect - even if simply to act as a catalyst to stimulate critical organic processes in the soil. If you have not fertilized recently, buy a bag of general purpose fertilizer (i.e. 12-12-12) and give it the recommended amount and top water it in well. If this is the problem, you should start to see results in just a few weeks at this time of year. For annual fertilizing here is a cocktail for your fast growing evergreens in early spring. First buy a large bag of Hollytone and follow the instructions. Then buy a bag of sulphur/iron mix and follow the directions for the minimum recommended amount - or half the full recommended amount. Last, buy a bag of general purpose fertilizer (i.e. 12-12-12) and give it only one half of the recommended amount (again, like the iron sulphur, you've already added the Hollytone). I can not overemphasize the value of Hollytone. My trees and shrubs are the envy of my neighborhood thanks primarily to this amazing soil additive. Think of it as inoculating and feeding your trees all at the same time. Another plus is that it would be very difficult to over-fertilize using only Hollytone as it is 100% organic. One caveat about Hollytone. If you have any pets, make certain that you spread the Hollytone in and immediately water it in well as your dogs will unerringly head straight for any standing piles and then proceed to gobble it right down! Fortunately, it seems to agree with their systems. It's just awfully expensive dog food. ;-) Next, water this in using top watering only. I do not deep water my Leylands unless the temps get really very high. Leylands will tolerate a good deal of top watering without any problems. But they do have a sensitive root system. Consequently, they do not like sitting in standing water. This is especially relevant to people like myself who have heavy clay soil. Good luck. They are magnificent and durable trees that should dominate the space in which they are planted. I only ask that you report back to us the results of your research so that everyone can benefit from whatever you learn. g

Hi Botann of the Incredibly Beautiful Garden, I sure do hope the forest grows fast and well, roots and all. Trees die and I freak out. So expensive to shop, seek, buy, install, pamper, cut down, replace, etc. Have a douglas fir that croaked -- thought that was impossible in Portland. It got covered with humongous warts and turned brown. But hope is renewed! Hazel Smith sequoias, the very hardiest and outstandingly majestic, are available in HUGE sizes, extremely healthy and full, from Evans Farm down the street. Excellent prices too. More sequoias in the yard :-) Yes, if things live it will be a forest. It's hard to find Hazel Smiths and Evans Farm's this year are just luxuriantly robust. The south is where the wind comes from, neighbors to south have no trees so that's open. Also have a path running from south to north where the wind barrells through. Altogether too much burning sun here, desperately need more shade, doing quick forest succession thing, willows growing fast and starting to provide a little shade. Satellite communications? You lost me. No idea what that means. Fertilizing a leyland slows it down? Roots don't keep up with top? Maybe I'll have to prune them a lot. Maybe have to buy a cherry picker type rig, the size of a small riding lawnmower, to work amongst the treetops in a couple years. Whatever it takes ... Yes, I'm a beginner and I'm crazy, but I love trees and can't get enough, lust for more and more green always. Finally found some native western white pines, pinus monticola, from a Christmas tree grower, but have to wait until November for him to dig them for me. They used to cover the earth here but have been logged almost to extinction; even native nurseries don't have them. But they're incredibly beautiful.

Yes, I've seen his website and it indeed has a very nice assortment of all kinds of Thuja hedges. I suspect the Eurostar is a faster grower than the Smaragd too? (I've seen data of both the Brabant and Smaragd and Brabant seems to grow faster than Smaragd.) @Edwin, if Eurostar is denser than Smaragd than my interest goes to Eurostar of course. However, I'm afraid prices will be a lot higher for Thuja occ. 'Eurostar' than for more known cultivars like 'Smaragd' and 'Brabant'. 1/4th of one side of our garden has to get that hedge, which is about 8m long. That will (if I'm not mistaken) make about 16 trees. @Edwin (another question): if price of Thuja occ. 'Eurostar' isn't a lot higher, do you know of any nurseries that will transport those trees to somewhere near Antwerp? (Or perhaps does your nurserie?)