Thanks everyone, really appreciate the encouragement. OK great, that's what I was hoping - that it will bounce back and then I'm happy to maintain it myself as long as it's relatively manageable! I'm quite enjoying the process... the clear up is less enjoyable
Nice and ruthless, the perfect way to go. We have privet the whole boundary of our house and it only really needs trimming twice a year with the odd extra cut on the top to keep it neater.
Oh thats great to know thank you. Sorry if this is a stupid question, but do the new leaves grow on long thin stems again? Or can they grow closer to the old bare wood to create more of a box shape? Not sure if I've explained that properly!
The new leaves and stems mostly grow from the brown bark below where you've made the cuts. You'll probably get more than one shoot on each branch too. Sometimes they come in a cluster near where the branches separate. I don't have any of my own pictures but there's a good one on this page http://www.oldfern.co.uk/garden/projects/front_detail.php , 4th pic in the middle panel.
Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
To start with the more you trim it the more each stalk will grow side shoots so keep trimming for the first year or so then it’ll be covered with short twigs covered with leaves.
Those long thin stalks haven’t been trimmed for at least a couple of years.
As the others have said, to begin with you will need to trim it quite often to get it to bush out and fill in the framework you want but once it has it won't need much doing to it.
My first cut of the year is usually a fairly big one because of waiting to be sure that there aren't any birds to nesting in it (although they don't normally use it - I think they prefer to be higher up). After that usually one or two more cuts late summer and mid-autumn.
Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
And she's done! I realise it looks completely brutal but I really don't want the hedge to be any bigger than this. The section on the far left which is slightly lower I want to remove entirely, so I have a better view around that corner when I pull out.
If I've ruined it and it doesn't grow back I won't mind and it'll be easier to remove it fully looking like this. Hopefully though with a bit of patience, some hedge feed and regular trims I can get it looking ok.
The next step is to sort out the bottom of it - no idea of the best way to get rid of all the tangled up ivy other than going in with my hands and ripping! The ivy roots have also spread out a good way under the hedge and onto the pavement in a thick mat - probably need to purchase a saw to cut that in half. If anyone has any better suggestions for sorting out the bottom part feel free to throw them my way!
Thanks for all the encouragement, it was a massive job but I actually really enjoyed it! And best of all, lots of my neighbours came and chatted to me while I was doing it and I met lots of new people!
Posts
https://www.ziptrees.com/portfolio/privet-hedge-trim/ …. have faith 😊
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
If I've ruined it and it doesn't grow back I won't mind and it'll be easier to remove it fully looking like this. Hopefully though with a bit of patience, some hedge feed and regular trims I can get it looking ok.
The next step is to sort out the bottom of it - no idea of the best way to get rid of all the tangled up ivy other than going in with my hands and ripping! The ivy roots have also spread out a good way under the hedge and onto the pavement in a thick mat - probably need to purchase a saw to cut that in half. If anyone has any better suggestions for sorting out the bottom part feel free to throw them my way!
Thanks for all the encouragement, it was a massive job but I actually really enjoyed it! And best of all, lots of my neighbours came and chatted to me while I was doing it and I met lots of new people!