[polly tunnel]

I have an 8 foot high mature privet hedge that I would like to reduce by approx 2feet. Can I do this without killing my vigourous hedge and if so, when is the best time to do this?

[shokkyy]

We've got a monster privet hedge around two sides of our half acre garden. It grows at least 3 foot a year, and I'm not exaggerating. Our problem is keeping it vaguely under control and stopping it from getting too big. If you do let it grow too big, it will get very thin and threadbare at the base. You need to keep cutting it back to keep it nice and thick all the way down. When we moved into the house the hedge was very out of control. It was about 12 foot high and had come into the garden by several feet widthways as well. We cut it right back to about 6 foot and took a lot off the width and yes, it did look a bit stubby at first, but in springtime it leapt away and looked much healthier for it, as did all the shrubs that had been smothered by it.

The normal time to cut it back is autumn, when the birds have finished nesting and growth has slowed down. Some people like to give their hedge another trim in springtime, but I never like to do that because we've always got a lot of birds nesting in ours.

[JayG]

My 100' garden is surrounded by privet hedges which I believe have been there since the houses were built around 80 years ago!

It's hard to think of a more long-suffering and resilient hedging plant; it has the ability to regenerate from old wood which means you can do virtually anything to it and it will still regrow.

Because some of my paths are placed next to the hedge and are only 18" wide I have had to reduce the width of them to avoid having to limbo-dance up the garden; I just got into them with secateurs and within a few months all the unsightly gaps had filled in. Best done in early spring for aesthetic reasons, but yes, watch for birdies!

Another ex neighbour had let theirs get to about 12', so the new owners lowered it to about 6' all in one go using a chainsaw! Again, hedge recovered quickly.

(I'll move this topic to "General Gardening" since as far as I know most folk don't actually eat their privet hedges!)

[Faz]

And remember that if you want it to be 6 feet tall eventually, cut it back to 5 or 5 and a half feet, so that you'll find it easy to trim the regrowth to the correct height. Otherwise you'll keep getting holes and struggle with the clippers against the thick older growth every time you give it a trim.

[WirralWally]

polly tunnel,

Don't try to get technical with a privet hedge. Just do whatever you want with it.
Privet is very resilient and will quickly recover from whatever harsh treatment you dish out to it.
Just hack it back to wherever you want and it will soon produce new growth and begin to look in pristine condition.
Privet is very hardy and shrugs it's shoulders at any unkind treatment.

My only two pieces of advice would be:-
1. Ignore anything that anyone tells you about caring for privet. It needs no care.
2. prune as harshly as you want, any time; but avoid doing so in winter if you can.


Your original question asks if and when you can lop 2' off your hedge. The short answer is whenever you want to. And, no, it won't do any long term harm to it.

Just go for it. 

[Bernard]

I agree with WirralWally. You just can't go wrong. Cut back beyond the level you want and cut the thickest branches farthest. It will regrow. I have done it several times and the only problem is that it will keep growing.