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Privet Hedges
NewGardner1
Posts: 3
Hi,
I am new to the gardening world and I have recently managed to get myself an alotment. I want to grow a Privet Hegdge from cuttings is this possible and how do I do this.
Any help is much appreciated
0
Posts
Privet is one of the easiest plants to propagate.
You simply need to take a cutting, about a foot long (or even longer), and stick it in the ground, and away it should go.
Obviously you need suitable weather, warm and showery, like now.
Thanks so much Gary - do I need to use rooting powder?
I have found that even the clippings from my privet start taking root if they fall into nearby pots when I've been cutting the hedge. They are obviously keen to grow.
Thats great thanks for your help. Do you know how far appart I should space the clippings?
I have not grown a hedge from scratch, but I do think privet looks best when it is dense. I keep mine very closely clipped and it always looks good, so I expect that the cuttings should be planted quite close.
I do find that most bushes will propogate in this manner, as per Gary's advice. Just stick them in the ground and stand back! Much of my garden has been filled in this way.
Some people do use rooting powder, and perhaps it does assist rooting, though it's not essential.
The spacing should be around 9 inches to a foot (20cm to 30cm). But you could put in cuttings twice as close as that (4 inches apart), so that if some cuttings don't take, you'll still get a decent hedge.
That's true.
You could plant two rows, 6 inches apart and with the plants staggered, so the pattern looks like a zig-zag. That would produce a thicker and denser hedge, but that would require more land area. Probably not what you'd want to do on an allotment, although you could if planting around a house.
Please do remember that if you are going to plant a privet hedge - when it comes to trimming the hedge, you will have to trim the side of the hedge facing you, and the TOP of the hedge facing you, and your neighbours side of the hedge aswell. And as you get older, you will still have this endless responsibility. Very similar to owning a dog, that has to be fed, and walked twice a day, whatever the weather !!
I love privet hedge, I planted one in 2012, it's now about 5' tall, having been constantly picked out so it's as thick at the bottom as the top.
I love the smell of the flowers, takes me back to my childhood in London where everybody had privet.