When do I trim hedge

jafsie

What time of year should I cut the privet? Thanks

DaftyDuck

It should be about to flower. Wait until it has, then chop away. Privet is a tough old hedge, and you can't really go wrong.

The flowers are a "funny" smell. Some hate the smell, others love it. It just makes me sneeze like:eek: . If you want it not to flower, next year cut it around April.

Multiple cuts in the year will make the hedge denser, and smoother.

torbrex

After flowering as said above and another cut late August or early September to provide shape for the winter months

PudseyDB

Dad always used to cut our hedge after the baby birds had left their nests ..... and then whenever it needed trimming again.

jafsie

Flower? It doesn't flower:huh:

Thanks for info anyway:)

shellsuit

I cut our hedge whenever it looks untidy.

Normally about once a month at this time of year.

Ours doesn't flower either?

DaftyDuck

jafsie wrote: »

Flower? It doesn't flower:huh:

Thanks for info anyway:)

Privet has white flowers in June/July. They have a peppery smell, are quite pretty, and are popular with bees and other insects.
http://www.types-of-flowers.org/pictures/privet_tree_flowers.jpg

If yours isn't flowering, it may have been cut earlier in the year - thus removing flowerheads, or it may not be privet!

lostinrates

My privet hedge is flowering now despite having had two cuts earlier in the year. And its a mess.

DaftyDuck

lostinrates wrote: »

My privet hedge is flowering now despite having had two cuts earlier in the year. And its a mess.

You can prune Privet hard to remove older stems, and it will shoot well from the old wood. Regular pruning is best, maybe six times a year, if you can bear to - all those clippings to get rid of! The more you clip, the denser the shoots will get.

If you clip in the March - May season, you'll get fewer flowers, clip in June, and you'll cut most of the flower buds off. Prune as much as you like in July - September to regain shape, then light clipping through to March will get the thicker surface looking good. It'd be difficult to get a really dense, smooth hedge AND flower... 'though no doubt the TV gardeners can achieve it!

lostinrates

DaftyDuck wrote: »

You can prune Privet hard to remove older stems, and it will shoot well from the old wood. Regular pruning is best, maybe six times a year, if you can bear to - all those clippings to get rid of! The more you clip, the denser the shoots will get.

If you clip in the March - May season, you'll get fewer flowers, clip in June, and you'll cut most of the flower buds off. Prune as much as you like in July - September to regain shape, then light clipping through to March will get the thicker surface looking good. It'd be difficult to get a really dense, smooth hedge AND flower... 'though no doubt the TV gardeners can achieve it!

I really love the privet, but its very leggy (had been left neglected for some time before we arrived) and needs so many clips a year, and hard to do because its above a wide ditch. We're planning on replacing with yew. But its a shame, because privet is a nice hedge in the right place IMO.

annie123

jafsie wrote: »

What time of year should I cut the privet? Thanks

September when any birds should have left, or look really carefully before you start cutting.