How Fast Do Leyland Cypress Hedges Grow?

Growth Rate

• Leyland cypress plants grow between 3 and 6 feet a year, most notably adding vertical height. Branch tips lengthen across the entire plant. When planted in rows or clusters quickly close in space between them.

Considerations

• For faster growth and initial establishment after planting, keep the soil evenly moist. Tolerant of a wide array of soil types, fertile soils and those enriched with organic matter encourage the most growth. Leyland cypress plants falter in soggy or flooding soil conditions.

Insight

• If never pruned or sheared, Leyland cypress trees readily mature more than 40 feet tall, a size too big or out of scale for many residential properties. Once the individual trees in the hedge reach a satisfactory height, trim the top leader branches to maintain them at a uniform size. All branch tips continue growing, but annual trimming keeps plant size in check.