Hello,

We just moved to a 1 acre property with an overgrown Leyland cypress wall. The trees are really tall, but thin, and we pruned them the first time two years ago. However, they are not very dense. After years of neglect, it is not surprising. You can see the yard and the house of the neighbors through those trees. I don't want to rip them out, however, I want to add another strip of bushes / shrubs in front of them to add more privacy. I was considering laurels, but I don't know which variety is less aggressive, or shall I say a little more well behaved... We would like a faster growing, evergreen hedge. We're located in the Pacific Northwest, zone 7 / 8, wet winters, dry summers. The hedge will be in complete open hade, of course, shaded by the leyland cypresses behind it. It might get an hour of sun at the very end of the day. What can be planted there that will provide a faster growing lush evergreen looking hedge, and coexist with cypresses of course? Thank you very much for any ideas.

Also, how low can leyland cypresses be topped the second time around? They are about 30 feet high...