Replacing Leyland cypress - Ask Extension
Two Leyland cypress trees in my yard became partially uprooted after the heavy snow last weekend. The ground was already saturated. This has happened...
Knowledgebase
Replacing Leyland cypress #925087
Asked February 26, 2026, 10:48 AM EST
Two Leyland cypress trees in my yard became partially uprooted after the heavy snow last weekend. The ground was already saturated. This has happened before with the last tree in the row. We have tried anchoring in the past. We have consulted a representative from a local tree expert company who has recommended removal as this is likely to happen again. We are trying to decide on a replacement to provide screening between our yard and my neighbor's yard. We need something tall, eventually 30 ft. Some suggestions include Ilex Nellie Stevens, Magnolia grandiflora "Little Gem" and Chindo viburnum. What are the pro and cons of these?
Baltimore City County Maryland
Expert Response
We agree that replacement with a different species is more practical than trying to continue supporting or replanting Leylands. More information about the site conditions will help us provide feedback: How much direct sun does that area get in summer? (6-8 or more hours? or less?) Except during extreme weather events, is the soil in that area well-drained, or does it routinely skew damp? Do deer browse in the area regularly, where new plants would need to be not palatable?
Depending on the space available, using more than one species (in a row or cluster of screening plants) is recommended, as it provides some protection from a future pest or disease outbreak from potentially damaging the entire planting equally severely.
'Chindo' is a variety of Awabuki Viburnum, a non-native species that is barely hardy in most of Maryland. A cold winter could cause some branch tip dieback or bad leaf winterburn, though the latter phenomenon can impact just about any broadleaf evergreen and is something plants can recover from if the branches themselves are not badly damaged. Aside from hardiness concerns, though, it's probably not large enough at maturity for your needs, if you want something to reach 30 feet tall.
Southern Magnolia is definitely big enough (even dwarf forms like variety 'Little Gem' tend to get at least 20-25 feet tall), and while it doesn't have a fast growth rate compared to other evergreens, it usually is fine with Maryland winter weather. (Even if it gets singed a bit by winterburn.) The canopy will be densest in full sun, even though the tree does reasonably well in about a half-day of shade.
Several hollies (Ilex) might get large enough once mature, and variety 'Nellie Stevens' is one of the fastest-growing, reaching about 20 feet tall. A taller and native option is American Holly (Ilex opaca), but the trade-off is that it has a slow growth rate. For aesthetics, 'Nellie Stevens' is capable of producing berries by itself, but American Holly plants are either male (no berries) or female (no berries unless pollinated by a male), so planting more than one, unless wild male American Hollies grow in nearby woods, is needed if you want any female American Holly trees to produce berries for decoration or birds to enjoy.
Another non-native option (Maryland has hardly any tall-growing evergreens that aren't pine trees) is Japanese Cedar (Cryptomeria japonica). There are several varieties on the market, and a few of them ('Yoshino' being commonly sold) easily reach 30 feet tall, and fairly quickly.
Western Arborvitae (Thuja plicata) hybrid 'Green Giant' and similar varieties can be easy to source and they also grow relatively quickly to 20-30 feet or so. In winter, it's not unusual for some arborvitae varieties to develop a brownish or bronzy foliage blush that goes away once the weather gets mild again. (Some Cryptomeria do the same. It varies by cultivar and weather severity for any given year.)
Deer usually avoid eating Western Arborvitae (they enjoy Eastern Arborvitae, but they don't generally get as tall as you need) as well as Cryptomeria and American Holly. While they probably don't favor Southern Magnolia leaves, exposed trunks on young trees would be vulnerable to "buck rub," where deer rub antler velvet off on slender tree trunks in autumn. (This can seriously damage or kill a young tree, so protect an exposed trunk with a wire cage or temporary trunk wrap. We've occasionally seen deer rub the trunks of evergreens with foliage in the way, like Cryptomeria.) We don't know if they would bother 'Chindo' Viburnum, but hollies that aren't super spiny (like 'Nellie Stevens', which is not too stiff- or sharp-leaved) can be eaten.
Miri
Depending on the space available, using more than one species (in a row or cluster of screening plants) is recommended, as it provides some protection from a future pest or disease outbreak from potentially damaging the entire planting equally severely.
'Chindo' is a variety of Awabuki Viburnum, a non-native species that is barely hardy in most of Maryland. A cold winter could cause some branch tip dieback or bad leaf winterburn, though the latter phenomenon can impact just about any broadleaf evergreen and is something plants can recover from if the branches themselves are not badly damaged. Aside from hardiness concerns, though, it's probably not large enough at maturity for your needs, if you want something to reach 30 feet tall.
Southern Magnolia is definitely big enough (even dwarf forms like variety 'Little Gem' tend to get at least 20-25 feet tall), and while it doesn't have a fast growth rate compared to other evergreens, it usually is fine with Maryland winter weather. (Even if it gets singed a bit by winterburn.) The canopy will be densest in full sun, even though the tree does reasonably well in about a half-day of shade.
Several hollies (Ilex) might get large enough once mature, and variety 'Nellie Stevens' is one of the fastest-growing, reaching about 20 feet tall. A taller and native option is American Holly (Ilex opaca), but the trade-off is that it has a slow growth rate. For aesthetics, 'Nellie Stevens' is capable of producing berries by itself, but American Holly plants are either male (no berries) or female (no berries unless pollinated by a male), so planting more than one, unless wild male American Hollies grow in nearby woods, is needed if you want any female American Holly trees to produce berries for decoration or birds to enjoy.
Another non-native option (Maryland has hardly any tall-growing evergreens that aren't pine trees) is Japanese Cedar (Cryptomeria japonica). There are several varieties on the market, and a few of them ('Yoshino' being commonly sold) easily reach 30 feet tall, and fairly quickly.
Western Arborvitae (Thuja plicata) hybrid 'Green Giant' and similar varieties can be easy to source and they also grow relatively quickly to 20-30 feet or so. In winter, it's not unusual for some arborvitae varieties to develop a brownish or bronzy foliage blush that goes away once the weather gets mild again. (Some Cryptomeria do the same. It varies by cultivar and weather severity for any given year.)
Deer usually avoid eating Western Arborvitae (they enjoy Eastern Arborvitae, but they don't generally get as tall as you need) as well as Cryptomeria and American Holly. While they probably don't favor Southern Magnolia leaves, exposed trunks on young trees would be vulnerable to "buck rub," where deer rub antler velvet off on slender tree trunks in autumn. (This can seriously damage or kill a young tree, so protect an exposed trunk with a wire cage or temporary trunk wrap. We've occasionally seen deer rub the trunks of evergreens with foliage in the way, like Cryptomeria.) We don't know if they would bother 'Chindo' Viburnum, but hollies that aren't super spiny (like 'Nellie Stevens', which is not too stiff- or sharp-leaved) can be eaten.
Miri
