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Advice needed re: new privet hedge

liz 289liz 289 Posts: 16
in Problem solving
I have just bought a load of privet hedge plants from an online supplier, and am worried that they will not form a good hedge.  Though advertised as being 120-150cm high, with growth throughout the length of the plant, most of those supplied are between 150-200cm high, with almost all growth starting from 50-100cm up the main stem(s).  The plants therefore look very leggy, with the first 50-100cm almost entirely bare.  See picture to illustrate problem.

The supplier assures me that this is because the plants have been grown in containers set close together, so the lower parts of the plants haven't had much light.  They say that if I plant them out the lower areas will start to produce leaves and bush out (if that is a term), so that within weeks I will be able to see the difference and a good hedge will eventually be formed.

I am sceptical.  Can anyone reassure me (or otherwise)?

Thank you in advance.

Posts

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    Hi 🙂
    we don’t seem to have the picture?  If it’s not uploading try reducing the size 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • liz 289liz 289 Posts: 16
  • liz 289liz 289 Posts: 16
    Sorry about that!
  • Lizzie27Lizzie27 Posts: 12,494
    They do indeed look very leggy and have obviously not been grown in the right conditions. I think you have two choices, either you reject them and insist the supplier takes them back or take a chance and plant them at the correct spacing. If you do that, I would prune some of the top growth off to a uniform height which will help make the plants "bush up" lower down the trunks. Privet are quite tough plants and also grow quickly so they should easily make up the height next spring. If you are  planning to grow them in front of that nice wall, plant them at least 2 ft away from the wall.
    North East Somerset - Clay soil over limestone
  • dylan.hughestHvqweHydylan.hughestHvqweHy Posts: 3
    liz 289 said:
    Hi liz. How fid you privet turn out and ehat did you fo in the endxas i had some delivered today thst are aslo very leggy
  • RedwingRedwing Posts: 1,511
    I would cut them back by 1/3 or so.  They will soon bush up at this time of year.  Keep them well watered as they are quite big.
    Based in Sussex, I garden to encourage as many birds to my garden as possible.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    The thread is 4 years old, so I expect the OP has a good hedge by now. Did yours look like that @dylan.hughestHvqweHy - are they that size or smaller? A photo will help. 
    As you can see with the OP's photo, the plants have been in those pots, crowded, and therefore have lacked light at the base of them. 
    Plant and cut them back, and make sure they have plenty of water, and they should come away. A well prepped border before planting will also help. Big, leggy plants will be slower to establish than smaller ones, which is why cutting them back relieves the stress on the roots a bit more.    :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • liz 289liz 289 Posts: 16
    In the end I cut them right back to maybe 6-8 inches from the ground - no leaves at all. They grew really fast, so in a year or so I had some decent (if small) hedge plants. They are still thriving. I just wish I had bought smaller plants to begin with, or picked them myself from a nursery so that I could see what I was buying. A lesson learned! Best of luck with yours. 
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