Leyland History

[David]

Thanks Frank. This moron planted six of them two seasons ago, they've 'shot up' by about six inches. So much for rapid growth ;-))

[anacortesdamp]

David:

I guess you're in an environment where the Leyland Cypress doesn't do as well as in my area (NW Washington) or the UK. We've even had Thuja Pyramidalis grow quicker than 6" a season, and they aren't known for rapid growth. We put a row of them in at our previous house as a hedge, in 1997. They were about 15" high then. We drove through the neighborhood a couple of weeks ago, and the trees are about 10 ft high. That's in 7 years and a bit.

Our current location is just a few feet from salt water (a marina across the street) and there's quite a decent beach just a half mile away, so the micro-climate needs careful study before planting things. The salt air plays havoc with a lot of things. Roses do very well, azaleas and rhodedendrons a bit less well (even though the rhodie is the State flower). We've had moderate success with honeysuckle, laburnum and Japanese Snowbell tree. Our pyrocantha is struggling a bit, but the buddleia, ceanothus, heather and lavender are doing very well.

Boy, gardening can get to be a chore sometimes.


Frank Damp

[William R]

Frank, There is a plant rife around here called the Japanese Knot-weed. This is a terrible plant to get rid of as only a fibre of the root system needs to be left on site, for the plant to grow to gigantic size. The local St. Johns Ambulance Centre has the misfortune to have a plant in their yard. They have tried everything, short of Agent Orange, to be rid of it. The latest failure was to excavate and remove the roots, then fill the voids with concrete. They now stand some seven feet in height. I may take a pic of them for Martin, may you never have to deal with them. William R.

[David]

Frank; Posters used to complain about Bill Rigby using 'big' words. I think you just won the trophy back with that posting ;-)))

[SherbornLeland]

The following two items may be of interest.[b]http://www.btinternet.com/~elretiro/NewHistory/
See the QuickHistory and Timeline[/b] links for information about the history of Leyland.

It includes the following:
quote:

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The first written evidence for the existence of Leyland, as is true for many places, comes from that most famous of Tax Surveys, the Domesday Book. At that time it was compiled the county of Lancashire didn't exist and when the recording of the 'land between the Ribble and Mersey' was written down it was bolted on at the end of the section on Cheshire!!!

In the Domesday Book, 'Leyland Hundred' is partly recorded as follows... 'In Lailond 'Hundred'... King Edward held Lailond. There [are] one hide and two carucates of land. Wood two leagues long and one broad and an eyrie of hawks'. The King in question was none other than King Edward the Confessor and the strange references are of Saxon and Norse origin ('Hide is Saxon while 'Carucate' is a Norse unit of measurement of roughly 120acres).

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Also this bit of etymology may be of interest.
From "A Sketch of the English Branch of the Leland Family" by P.W. Leland
quote:

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The name LELAND, variously written previously to the reign of George II., may owe its origin to the locality occupied by the family in England, or to the original Saxon or Norman district whence the family took its rise. It is stated by one eminent biographical writer, that a district of country in England gave name to the family. This may be true, or the reverse may be the true hypothesis, viz: that the family gave name to the district. The strip of territory, denominated Leyland on most full maps of the Island of Great Britain, one of which is inserted in "McCulloch's Commercial Dictionary," gives color to either supposition. Leyland as applied to a portion of country, is a description of the uses to which it is devoted, taking the etymology of the word in the sense used by the early Anglo-Saxons.

The words, Lee, Leigh, Lea, Ley, Lye, though orthographically different, have all the same signification, and denote a pasture; and united with the last syllable of the name is often found written lond or londe, this being the mode of spelling the word land during the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, as may be seen by consulting the speech of William Thirnyng to Richard II., at the Tower of London, as given by Lord Campbell, in his Lives of the Chief Justices.

The same name is somewhat common in France, slightly varied in its orthography to suit the genus of that beautiful language. It is there written Lalande, the article La being substituted for Le or Ley, the noun following being feminine, and the e final added in accordance with the grammatical structure of that tongue.

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[Spitfire]

Hi and welcome to the forum. I`ve no doubt that the members will find the history of great interest.