Can you plant things under a leylandii hedge?

I've been Googling this question, and a whole range of plants are suggested, though a good number of options are also no not at all! My mum said that Leylandiis "drip acid on the soil", which sounds like an old wives' tale to me, particularly as there are a good number of weeds under there that seem to be doing ok. So I was wondering if anyone out there is succeeding to grow anything nice under their hedge monster?

Thanks in advance for any advice!

 

Hello Fyfy! You'll be doing well to get much to grow near a monster hedge of any description far less the dreaded Leylandii. I am not sure but think your Mum is referring to Yew more than Leylandii. In another garden I had massive Yew trees, the soil around them wouldn't even support weeds being so acidic.
The only thing I can get to grow even vaguely well close to Leylandii are Snowdrops and Aconites. I have a Leyandii Tree(I did NOT plant it) nothing else much will grow within about 4 ft of the canopy.

 

You could try autumn flowering crocuses. I have a number of Leylandi trees growing fairly close together and under them I grow or have growing snowdrops, Iris foetidissima, Arum maculatum and some woodland geraniums. None grow particularly close to the trunk.
You could try Arum marmoratum, Helleborus argutifolius and relatives.
You may get some ideas from http://plantsforshade.co.uk/acatalog/Plants_for_Dry_Shade.html
You might have to try a few and see what survives.

 

Would this sort of thing grow anywhere,don't know what it is thou,must get dry as bet its been there a couple of years,that would be lime based mortar