When should privet be cut back?
winter
For privet hedges, it is best to trim at least twice a year between May and August. This is to maximise the chances of growth and make your shrub stronger throughout winter months. Put simply, the more you trim your privet hedge, the thicker and denser it becomes.
Can privet be hard pruned?
Privet is tough as old boots and can definitely tolerate hard pruning. Hard pruning is best done at the end of winter so you’re not looking at an unsightly hedge for too long, or disturbing nesting birds.
How do you shape a privet bush?
Privets generally look their best when shaped with a wide base and a rounded or slightly pointed top.
- Use your pruning shears to cut your privet shrub down to a height of 6 to 8 inches.
- Use your pruning shears to cut away about half of the privet’s new growth the following year, during the growing season.
What’s the best way to prune a privet hedge?
The first step in privet hedge pruning is to trim out crossing branches. You’ll also want to keep cutting back privet to remove damaged or dead branches. Remove them at their base with loppers. Once you finish this, remove several large branches from the inside of each shrub to open up the center of the hedge.
When to prune privet trees for winter care?
Privet – Pruning, Winter Care and Fertilizing. These shrubs are often used in mass plantings or as a hedge. The same pruning technique can be used if they are planted as a specimen. For these plants, pruning should be done in the early spring, before they leaf out. Shear or prune the outer branch tips to shape and reduce the size of the plant.
How to care for Ligustrum undulatum leaf privet hedges?
Dig the area well and amend the soil with some well rotted compost. Water in well with a liquid seaweed fertiliser and mulch to retain moisture. Water when establishing and then through the first summer or any dry period. Fertilize with a slow release fertiliser in spring and again in autumn.
Which is the best plant for a privet hedge?
Ligustrum undulatum Box Leaf Privet Hedge Widely used as a hedge plant Ligustrum Undulatum or Box Leaved Privet, forms an ideal small hedge to 1.5m. A safer alternative to its larger leafed relatives this species has small leaves, grows rapidly and rarely seems to produce seed, thus virtually eliminating its weed potential.