I want to start a privet hedge this year. How can I grow one that will be thick and square right to the ground

Question

I want to ensure that the privet hedge I grow is thick all the way down to the ground. I have seen some good privet hedges which are entirely thick and square, but also many that have gaps and exposed trunk at the bottom... I do not want this. Also, i have heard that privet grows well from cuttings... is this true, and how should I do about this? Or should I buy plants from a nursery? If I bought plants, how could I ensure that there would be no gaps at the bottom?

Answer 1

The BBC Has a very good gardening website with a question and answers message board. I feel sure you will get the answers your looking for without fail
All this providing your in the UK of course although perhaps this shouldnt make a differance

Answer 2

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Remember 2 things when pruning it; 1) It will grow 2 little sideways shoots from the tip of each shoot that you cut, thus doubling the number of shoots each time you prune. 2) It will always grow back from where you cut it back to, even if this is into bare wood, as privet has many dormant buds on its bare stems which soon come to life if the green shoots are cut off. At present you won't want to cut it back that far, but it's worth remembering in the future. If it were my hedge I would now trim it all over, removing about 3-4 inches of the lead shoots on both the sides and the top, so they will all make two shoots in place of the single leaders you have at present. Give it a good liquid feed and keep it well watered. Trim it again in a month's time, in the same way, and a third time at the end of the summer. Whatever you do, don't just let it grow upwards if you want a nice dense bushy hedge all over. Privet grows very fast but if you don't actively prune it so it becomes dense at the base from the first year, it get tall but will be comparatively thin and spindly. Be patient, it will take 2-3 years to get to the size you want, but will then be with you forever!

Answer 3

This type of hedge will take some time to grow as the only way to make the hedge thick to the bottom is to cut it back so that the new shoots develop close to the ground.
Many people think that they should wait until the bush is the height they want it before cutting back but this is wrong. The new shoots will always appear near the tip of the branch and the buds further in will not develop so if left to grow un-checked you will get a hollow center and it will grow in height but not thickness.
However if you cut the bush hard back each year to the 3 or 4 bud nodes nearest the start of each branch, the bush will show new growth near to the base of the plant and will become thick at the base. After several years of good pruning you will achieve the hedge you want.
Unfortunately it will take several years to get even a small hedge and many years to get a large hedge as privet is not the fastest of growers.
If you want a faster growing hedge you could try one made of Grissellinia (not sure if I've spelt that right) as its a much faster grower but the pruning still applies.
Good Luck ;o)

Answer 4

Privet Hedge Plants

Answer 5

Privet Hedging

Answer 6

I agree with alot that has already been advised.

Privet is easily grown and is quick growing.

Most people have gaps in their hedges because they are impatient. They can't wait for the hedge to get to the required height so they let it grown to the height with little pruning this is how you get gaps at the bottom- the plant does not fill in correctly.

If you plant young plants and prune quite severely from the start you get good thickness right to the ground. Every time you prune that stem divides into two stems, then you prune them and you get four stems, prune them again and you get eight stems this keeps going until you get to the finished hedge height and width, by then with masses of stems and leaves.

The other tip is to slightly taper back to the top from the bottom as mentioned, this allows the sun to penetrate to the bottom of the hedge from the sides. If the plant has no sunlight on parts of the shrub it doesn't waste its time growing leaves there because it can't feed from that area, again you get gaps.

If you provide adequate moisture, fertilized soil, and good drainage you should easily get the hedge you want from privet.

Some people are allergic to privet when it flowers, check to see this isn't a worry to yourself or your family before you spend to much money! Hope your successful!

Answer 7

Hello Graeme,
First of all, get your plants from a nursery if you want to make a start on your hedge. You can indeed take privet cuttings, and it's easy to propagate but it will take a good few years longer to grow a hedge than with buying more established plants.
The initial training of a hedge (careful pruning for the first 3yrs) is essential in promoting an even growth from the base to the top.

1. Prepare the ground where you want your hedge. Dig it nice and deep and add well-rotted manure/compost. Don't be shy with it!
2. Buy your plants. You should get a good discount for buying in bulk. Get bushy, healthy plants and make sure they're not pot-bound.
3. For a dense, wide hedge I think you should plant in a double staggered row
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4. Cut the plants back by one third (trust me) after planting.
5. Keep them well watered. This is important.

Every spring for another 3yrs, feed with a well-balanced fertilizer and top-dress with a mulch and cut them back again by one third. Cut the sides to an oblique angle with the base being the widest point. I hope this is helpful, x

Answer 8

Hi Graeme, Whatever hedge you decide on get it now. Garden centres have pots of bare rooted hedging plants in stock at the moment and are a good buy. Each pot should contain about 10 decent sized plants. Provided the weather stays as it is(not frost) you can plant bare rooted plants up until March. After that the sap starts to rise and you would then have to buy individual potted plants so as not to disturb roots when planting. Ideally for a good thick privet hedge plants need to be spaced 12 - 15 ins apart and a double staggered row ie \/\/\/\/\/ . Make sure you prepare ground by diging and mix in some bone meal or well rotted farm manure. Separate plants and plant each one to same depth as they were in te pot. Firm in well and mulch with some composted bark. By doing this now they will get a good kick start come the spring.
A laurel hedge looks very nice too, but my favourite is beech, slow to start but once it gets going it makes a lovely thick hedge and only needs clipped once a year. I hope this helps. cheers

Answer 9

we are a summing the reason for growing a privet hedge is that you are looking for privacy. They are thick and square because they were pruned this way. There is no way to guarantee that you will not have gaps and exposed trunks. I would suggest growing white cedar trees as a hedge.They are a faster grower and you can get better results with little or no space in between the trees. plant the trees 31/2 feet apart. normally you would plant them 4ft. apart. this will give you thicker growth. when the reach the hight that you are looking for trim them like you would any hedge,square round what ever you are looking for. They are very easy to maintain. These trees are used by farmers in the fields as a hedge row and along high ways to keep the snow blowing down . So if it helps with snow I am sure it will be a good natural privacy fence.....good Luck

Answer 10

I agree with Liz. Her answer is pretty comprehensive. Privet looks great once it's established and cared for well, but it takes a bit of patience. I'd only add that well cultivated soil will help a great deal. So digging a ditch and cultivating and improving the soil before planting is always a good investment for healthy plants later on.
I'm increasing the length of a privet hedge myself, but it's slow progress even with plenty of care.
For my money a Yew hedge is the best available. If you give it a good, well cultivated, enriched soil trench to start it off it isn't as slow a grower as most people believe. Not only that, but Yew is practically indistructable once established and can be cut back very harshly and still recover.

Answer 11

I planted an evergreen hedge a few years ago at the beginning of Spring. I purchased small container grown plants. I was advised to leave it untouched to allow the plants to make some growth during the first year. At the beginning of the second year (March time) cut back half the new growth. This has forced lots of new shoots at the base of the hedge and I can now leave it alone to reach its desired height knowing it will make a bushy hedge all the way down.