Leyland Cypress – Regrow from Stump

Q: I cut back two Leyland cypresses that had grown too large. Will they regrow from a couple of feet tall or should I just dig them up completely?

A: I think they’re toast. Leyland cypress can be pruned and shaped to your wishes, but only if you do it regularly each year. Like other needled evergreen shrubs (juniper, arborvitae, cedar, etc) Leyland cypress can’t produce new foliage from brown stems. Correct pruning is done by clipping off recent growth but leaving green needles below the cut. If you have no green needles on the stumps you have left, no resprouting will occur and you should dig them out.