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Ligustrum/Privet prune or remove?

evekelmanevekelman Posts: 3
in Problem solving
There is a very old Ligustrum bush in our garden which we just can’t decide what to do with. It’s in a prime location but it is really unsightly. It’s about 70% sticks that never grow leaves.   It was green all over 5 yrs ago and nearly double this size in width, but over the last few years I’ve been pruning it back each year and trying to pull dead branches out. 

Should I leave it alone and in time it may improve, hard prune it to about 1 metre tall and remove all dead bits, or just remove it altogether. I’m inclined to remove it but it’s a magnet for Sparrows which i’d hate to disrupt. 

Posts

  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 10,576
    To me it doesn't look very healthy and I think I would get rid. An alternative would be to cut it back really hard, almost to the base, and see if it regenerates, kill or cure! Either way, if there are birds nesting in it or nearby, wait until they've finished.
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
  • Lizzie27Lizzie27 Posts: 12,494
    That's a monster privet! I too, think it's on it's last legs and looks very ugly so I would get rid of it as well. However, if you really wanted to keep it for the sparrows' sake, could you try growing a vigorous clematis up it, something like a viticella perhaps?
    North East Somerset - Clay soil over limestone
  • evekelmanevekelman Posts: 3
    Thanks for your replies.  I’m going to try have a good look in it tomorrow and see if I can find any nests. If not it’s going. 
  • Mrs-B3-Southampton,-HantsMrs-B3-Southampton,-Hants Posts: 732
    Neighbours cut one down to the ground and didn't dig it out "too much work and I couldn't be bothered".  It's easily 8 or 9 feet high now.
    Southampton 
  • Cambridgerose12Cambridgerose12 Posts: 1,134
    With privet you can cut hard back and it will regenerate—better with a mulch and a dose of fertiliser. But they aren’t really much use as garden ornamental shrubs and you could replace it with something much more attractive. Wait until the summer to remove it to avoid nesting season (which is in full swing just now), and once you’ve removed the shrub and its roots, improve the soil by digging in a bag of compost, and then the site will be all ready for planting up in September or October.
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