Gardening tips.

[proactive]

So I've got a 6ft privet hedge masking something in the garden. What I want to do is knock it down to 4ft. Question is, when is the right time of year to do this and will doing it all in one go kill the hedge?

 

[Gramaisc]

So I've got a 6ft privet hedge masking something in the garden. What I want to do is knock it down to 4ft. Question is, when is the right time of year to do this and will doing it all in one go kill the hedge?

This is not a bad time, if it hasn't budded up hugely yet. Privet is pretty indestructible. If you're only taking 2' off the top of a 6' hedge, you will be unlucky to cause a catastrophe. Taking the sides off at the same time adds to the (slight) risk, but not hugely. It will look 'bare' for most of the spring/summer this year.

There is a lot to be said for cutting it back a bit beyond your intended final outline - then you will be trimming twigs reliably in the future, when it has fluffed up again, with a reduced risk of meeting baulks of timber, just below the surface.

Doing the whole length in one go, or not, will have no discernible difference in outcome, the hedge will (usually) be a series of individual bushes.

Taking the whole 2' reduction in one go is likely to be less traumatic than two 1' trims, with the plants wasting resources on pointless regeneration.

Go for it.

There's still daylight left.

 

[Chillybean]

Suggest you start doing it now before birds start using it for building nests in Spring.

 

[proactive]

This is not a bad time, if it hasn't budded up hugely yet. Privet is pretty indestructible. If you're only taking 2' off the top of a 6' hedge, you will be unlucky to cause a catastrophe. Taking the sides off at the same time adds to the (slight) risk, but not hugely. It will look 'bare' for most of the spring/summer this year.

There is a lot to be said for cutting it back a bit beyond your intended final outline - then you will be trimming twigs reliably in the future, when it has fluffed up again, with a reduced risk of meeting baulks of timber, just below the surface.

Doing the whole length in one go, or not, will have no discernible difference in outcome, the hedge will (usually) be a series of individual bushes.

Taking the whole 2' reduction in one go is likely to be less traumatic than two 1' trims, with the plants wasting resources on pointless regeneration.

Go for it.

There's still daylight left.

Suggest you start doing it now before birds start using it for building nests in Spring.

Got it done this morning after the school run as I'm WFH today. Managed to get it finished before the wind started picking up. Looks very brown when viewed from above, it'll be interesting to see how it picks up during the spring and summer.

Dumping the debris at the tip proved an interesting experience as the wind had picked up by then...