subject: 3 Ways to Renovate an Old Privet Hedge Easily [print this page] 3 Ways to Renovate an Old Privet Hedge Easily
It has this quality in common with other evergreen, non-coniferous plants (except for Yew, which can also be hard be hard pruned), but Privet is especially tough and you have a bit more flexibility with it.
Before you get stuck into the pruning, you need to prepare the ground around your hedge.
If you have really tough to kill weeds like nettles and brambles growing under and around your hedge, you will need to begin in summer: if they are thick on the ground, the easiest thing to do is to cover the hedge as best you can with a sheet and use a carefully directed herbicide on them. Dig out larger plants like young trees - cut them down and use stump killer if they are too big to dig out.
With that out of the way, when winter comes, clear the ground under the hedge really well. Remove all remaining weeds and other plants which have crept in. Clean up all leaves and bits of wood.
Now that you can really see what is going on, you can decide if there are considerable gaps in the hedge that will need new plants - this will only be an issue with the worst cases. Winter is the best time to replace plants - you can get barerooted ones, which are cheaper and, since it rains in winter, they should need no looking after. Be brave - if some old plants are very spindly, bare and frail, it will be best to put new ones in.
If you are replacing plants, be sure to dig in plenty of compost.
When spring is almost upon you, give the hedge a rich liquid feed.
Mulch over the soil afterwards - remember that mulch shouldn't touch the plants' stems.
When you can see the young leaves really get growing, it's time to get cutting.
It can go 3 ways from here: The Full Chop, the One Side at a Time or the Strategic.
The full chop is for a robust, healthy hedge in a place where it isn't important that it is a barrier to sight. Using a sharp, disinfected pruning saw, cut every stem down to a height of 50cms, making a sloping cut at the top. Job done, have a cup of tea.
The one side at a time is for a hedge that needs to continue providing cover and hasn't got too leggy and bare in the middle. Cut it down to about two feet below the height you ultimately want it and cut back all of the side branches on one side, leaving a short stub of each side branch about six inches long. Next year, do the same to the other side.
The strategic prune is for an ailing old hedge that has become sparse in the middle, again in a place where you want it to provide cover. If honey fungus is a risk in your area, this careful approach will give your hedge the best fighting chance. Cut the hedge down to about a foot below the desired height. Give all the side branches a trim, leaving a couple of feet on each branch. Now, pick out the strongest, thickest plants. These are the ones that you are going to cut down by another foot, leaving the weaker ones.
Above all, be courageous - Privet is tough as old boots.
Eddy Baker has been a nursery man at Ashridge Trees for more years than he cares to count and has helped friends and family bring theirprivet hedging back to its former glory on many occasions.
