Last updated on October 23rd, 2023 at 08:25 pm
Do you have a beautiful privet hedge in your garden? Then you have a hedge in the garden, which usually has green leaves all year round. Even in an urban environment privet hedge is suitable, because privet can handle air pollution incredibly well. This is why privet is one of the most popular hedge plants for new construction neighborhoods. In order for your privet hedge to do exceptionally well, it is important that the trimming of the privet is done flawlessly. Privet is a fairly fast growing hedge; in fact, it is not uncommon for a privet hedge to grow around 30 centimeters in a year. Privet is one of the few hedge plants that looks quite wonderful as a formal or informal hedge, but we recommend that you prune your privet hedge at least twice a year.
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Cut an informal privet hedge
When it is best to cut your privet hedge then depends in part on how formal you want this hedge to look to your taste. Generally, a privet hedge is trimmed between May and September because at the end of the year, a privet needs all its strength to survive in the cold of winter. Do you prefer that the white flowers and the black berries that later emerge from the flowers give your garden a decorative look? Then wait to prune until the pruning season is almost over. After all, a privet does not bloom until July and August. Your privet hedge will then take on a more informal look, but the flowers and berries will give your garden a pretty accent in the meantime. Also, the birds will be happy to see the berries clinging to your privet hedge, as they are particularly fond of eating these berries. However, we should not try this, because for us humans these berries are poisonous. There are even hedge mixtures that offer special hedges for birds, if you should be interested.
Pruning more often to maintain a formal privet hedge.
However, you often see privet hedge berries fall victim to a tight, formal privet hedge. This is understandable, because when a privet has a clear path, it can develop a fairly wide growth habit. Therefore, trim your privet in the spring after the last frost with a sharp hedge trimmer, but you can also use an electric hedge trimmer. When doing so, it is important to keep the lower part of the hedge wider than the upper part. This will allow the sunlight to spread more evenly throughout the hedge. If there are any differences, they will even out all by themselves. After that, you can trim the privet again in September to ensure that your privet hedge retains its pretty, formal look. For an especially tight result, you can trim your privet hedge one more time between the spring and fall pruning. However, you should not do this in bright sunlight, because then there is a risk of burning the intersections on the leaves and branches. But why is privet so popular in our gardens? And is the privet actually wintergreen?
Is the privet hedge getting too wide?
If a privet hedge in your garden becomes too wide, then you can also cut back the privet quite radically. Because of its rapid growth, it will become opaque again fairly quickly. However, should this affect the privacy function of your privet hedge? Then we recommend you to cut one side of your privet hedge first and then the other side in the coming season. Your hedge will then remain opaque and regain its shape. However, you can also plant burglar-resistant hedges in your garden, which has a particularly large number of thorns, for example, potato rose hedges or barberry hedges.