Privet is a popular hedge because it grows fast and is relatively insubordinate to pestis and disease . It is so robust that in many area uncouth privet ( a native of Japan ) and Chinese privet are consider invasive . cut this vigorous grower is a must and prune it is an gentle garden chore that can be completed from spring through summertime , depending on how officially you want to determine your hedge . Even hedgerow that have become overgrown can be brought back in line by a persistent nurseryman .
Step 1
Trim privets back when engraft and each spring thereafter to thicken branch and leaf . hit a few inches each spring ; when the privet reaches the height you want for it , snip it back to that height each outpouring . Trim new maturation one or two additional times until mid - summertime , to keep shrubs looking neat .
Step 2
figure privets so that they are across-the-board at the bottom than the top in a truncated , steep pyramid physical body . Making shrubs wider at the bottom than the top allows lower branch to get sunshine and rain . shrub that do not get enough Dominicus or water on lower outgrowth tend to become spindly .
Step 3
Trim privet growing up to one - third the duration of each subdivision each spring . Since privets can grow more than a foundation each yr , the shrubs will still increase in size of it over the years . unclouded out bushed limb p.a. in the outflow .
Step 4
Round the tops of your privets to help cast off snow and wind more easily . If the row is long , tie a string to stakes or Tree on either terminal and utilise a carpenter ’s level to place it to use as a pathfinder to keep your tops straight from one end to the other .
Step 5
regenerate your privet when they become too large , spindly and their leaf insurance coverage becomes thin . Cut branches down to about 12 in tall in recent wintertime or early outflow during dormancy . The privet will bush out and begin growing again . Trim back by one - third each class thereafter .
Tip
practice garden shear when your privets are modest — it takes more time but the results are neater . Trim branches close to growth nodule that form on the exterior of the limb so unexampled twigs will grow out , not in toward the centre of the bush . As privets age , apply hand shears or bush trimmers to keep your privet trim . For larger branches or renewal cut - cover , use a pruning saw .
Warning
Do not engraft privets that are trespassing in your field . coarse privet and variegated Chinese privet may make more body of work than you postulate even if they have not been specify as invasive in your state . Check with your local DoS university agrarian reference officer or arboretum for direction . jade garden glove when pruning shrubs — add oculus protection when using electric or accelerator - powered trimmer .
