This fast growing evergreen is as versatile as it is useful - especially when you're confronted with large areas of bare earth (a situation frequently encountered by new home buyers). This tree is the solution to quickly creating cool areas of greenery. The dense foliage of Leyland's cypress and its habit of retaining branches to ground level make it the perfect candidate for screens and windbreaks. It is great for informal hedges or can be sheared to create a more formal look.

If you do use Leyland cypress for hedges be aware that this is a high maintenance relationship as this fast grower must be trimmed or sheared at least once a year. Some hedges reach over 80 feet shading out neighboring vegetation and occasionally falling with sometimes disastrous effects on property.

I highly recommend this tree for its beauty, ruggedness and resistance to pests and disease. It is very tolerant of drought once established and has some salt tolerance. It is also inexpensive and fast growing - I have had young specimens grow more than 4 ft (1.2 m) in one year! Plants that combine all of these traits with a fast growth rate are rare and much appreciated.