I agree with you there Lizzie. Our neighbour has one leylandi that is over 10 metres tall, if it should fall it will take out his greenhouse and our wall, I just wish he would have it cut down before anything dangerous happens.
I don't think people realize that they need to be trimmed every year and soon grow too tall to be easily managed.
I like privet - although I know many people feel it's old fashioned in some way. It suits our climate here - plenty of water, and it's easy to maintain, and looks great when properly trimmed and clipped. Makes a great backdrop to other planting as well as a good boundary, with shelter for wildlife all year round. It's a much nicer hedge than lleylandii IMO
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Here are the photos of the new privet, planted last winter. They grew, then flowered and then turned yellow. They have been fed and watered well. Note the completely dead old hedging. Thanks for suggestions. Roger
The new hedge looks quite normal to me Roger. Don't forget we have had really odd weather this year which won't have helped and privet I find always looks a bit manky in the winter. I would wait until the Spring when new green shoots should appear, then cut the top down to an even level right along which help the hedge to bush out. We've had two old patches like yours which died right in the middle of a long hedge which is so annoying. One I cut out completely and re-planted new young privet. It has taken at least six years to grow to the height of the original which I was surprised at. The other patch I managed to disguise by training and tying some horizontal branches each side of the dead patch till they met in the middle. It was a bit fiddly and took a long time bt works kind of.
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It suits our climate here - plenty of water, and it's easy to maintain, and looks great when properly trimmed and clipped. Makes a great backdrop to other planting as well as a good boundary, with shelter for wildlife all year round.
It's a much nicer hedge than lleylandii IMO
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Thanks for suggestions.
Roger
We've had two old patches like yours which died right in the middle of a long hedge which is so annoying. One I cut out completely and re-planted new young privet. It has taken at least six years to grow to the height of the original which I was surprised at. The other patch I managed to disguise by training and tying some horizontal branches each side of the dead patch till they met in the middle. It was a bit fiddly and took a long time bt works kind of.
BW