Our backgarden has a very large Leylanid hedge comprising of about 10 trees - it is 12 meters long and about 6 meters high.
We want to make the garden as nature friendly as possible. Is replacing this hedge going to do that?
I am aware that sometimes meaning well can actually cause more harm than not. Birds do take shelter in this hedge but as far as I am aware apart from this it is of limited benefit to garden wildlife.
The plan is to replace this hedge with lots of native trees and shrubs such as hawthorn, gorse, holly, alder, and have othe rplants, bulbs and things underneath which currently gets smothered with the needles it drops.
Behind the hedge we will install a new fence with Ivy and other climbing plants too.
Am I on the right track for doing this or will I cause more harm than good?
If we were to get rid of it when it the safest time to do so as not to distrupt birds and other wildlife?
I also have a large leylandii hedge. I know not everyone's a fan, but ours is used daily by so many birds - even now in late September there are still woodpigeons nesting in it, and last year well into late October - so I've remained reluctant to remove it. I've often wondered if it would be advisable to keep a small section for shelter and plant a new replacement hedge alongside?However, no doubt there are species that offer more wildlife value in the long term - A search for 'leylandii' in the community forums will give you plenty of opinions! Someone also previously linked to this guide to what to plant