PRIVACY TREES: Green Giants vs. Leylands

Green Giants vs. Leylands Which one is right for you? If you're looking for privacy for your home, Leyland Cypress or Green Giants are two of your BEST options! These are the most popular privacy trees because of their high deer resistance and fast growth rate! Privacy trees are living fences that keep wandering eyes away from your yard. A fence can't help you achieve privacy into the second floor of your home like a tree can. PLUS trees are prettier to look at and are great for the environment!! What's the Difference? The Leyland Cypress is an all-natural hybrid cross between the Monterey Cypress and the Alaska Cedar. This hybrid is cold hardy, tough, and can survive in a variety of poor soils. They're soft woods and have small woody pine cones, a woody/spicy scent, and flat, scale-like leaves. At maturity, Leylands can reach heights between 40-60 feet and 20-25 feet wide. The Thuja Green Giant is the result of a Thuja Standish and Thuja Plicata cross pollinating. They have light, feathery foliage and a quick growth rate. This makes them a must have in neighborhoods where instant privacy is needed! At maturity, they reach about 20-40 feet tall and 12-20 feet wide, making them smaller than the Leyland Cypress. However, both of these trees have a growth rate of 3-5 feet per year so they quickly reach large sizes! DONT LET THESE SIZES SCARE YOU! Many people trim their trees to keep them the size that they prefer. Both varieties take trimming very well and look beautiful! Don't they Look the Same? Not quite! When it comes to your landscape, you want to make sure that you can plan ahead before planting and visualize what each plant will look like in your yard! Leyland Cypress Foliage Although they do resemble similar qualities, Leylands have thick, dense foliage that can sometimes have a dusty blue shade to it. They have flat scaly needles that appear soft and textured. Their upright pyramidal shape is uniform throughout them, which is why they make such great privacy trees next to each other! Green Giant Foliage Green Giants have thick foliage that also creates a dense privacy screen. Their foliage is a deep green but has a feathery look to it. The flattened scale-like leaves are in sprays that contrast the foliage with itself. Thujas have a triangular shape that we associate with a Christmas tree! Green Giant Privacy Tree Leyland Cypress Privacy Tree How much care do they require? Leylands need at least 6 hours of sunlight to flourish and you will have generally better results if you plant them in full sunlight. They prefer acidic soil but will adapt to your natural soil. Give them about an inch of water per week during growing season, keeping the soil nice and moist.  Thujas do well in full to partial sunlight and need at least 6 hours of sunlight a day to thrive. They can tolerate full sunlight but they definitely benefit from a light shade! They aren't picky about soil and will grow in a variety of different kinds.  So...which one of these 2 popular privacy trees is the winner?! Order Green Giant HERE! Order Leyland Cypress HERE! If this more of a job than you can handle, no worries! Call or stop into Bountiful Gardens to schedule an estimate. We also deliver and install! VISIT OUR WEBSITE!