Pruning A Leyland Cypress–Help Tame The Green Monster!

Question

Hello! our neighbors’ 3 LC Trees encroach badly into our property. 5-10′, conservatively, and shadow our grass. OUR LAWN goes downhill towards the trees, which are over 20 feet high, and hanging over community sidewalks to the rear of our homes. They won’t trim them. I trimmed them lightly last year–my wife doesn’t like to see THEIR back yard, so I couldn’t do more! What do I need, besides a pruning saw, to trim them more skillfully? They are a nuisance, but I don’t want to be out of pocket to have them trimmed–again, they’re not our trees. We get along w/ these neighbors, don’t want to make a big deal of it…but our HOA tells us it’s our responsibility to trim growth on our side. Any ideas? I could only reach about 8-10′ high when I pruned them last year…didn’t do a bad job, but the higher branches will increasingly encroach and make the already messy trees look worse. Our neighbor claims the trees have to be pruned professionally, and she won’t do it. Can’t provide a photo now…apologies

Answer 1

This article should help:

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/trees/leyland-cypress/pruning-leyland-cypress.htm