Plan the perfect garden with our interactive tool →

How to Cut a Privet Hedge

...
budda image by Inselney from Fotolia.com

Privets are a fast-growing group of shrubs native to Europe or Asia. Privets grow as tall as 16 feet and form dense hedges with delicate white spring flowers and berries that attract birds in the fall. Maintained properly, a privet hedge is an attractive, nearly evergreen shrub. It is considered invasive in many parts of the United States, particularly in the Southeast. If you own a privet hedge, it is important to keep this aggressive grower under control by pruning it yearly and cutting back overgrown plants to bring them under control.

...
ligusterhecke image by Frank-Peter Funke from Fotolia.com

Trim privet hedges in early spring to control new growth. Trim them again in early summer to keep them neat and remove flowers before they can set seed in summer berries. Aggressive growers that get a lot of sun may need a third trim in summer.

  • Privets are a fast-growing group of shrubs native to Europe or Asia.
  • Privets grow as tall as 16 feet and form dense hedges with delicate white spring flowers and berries that attract birds in the fall.
...
buis image by CB94 from Fotolia.com

Clean out dead branches first, cutting all the way down to the ground. Removing dead branches allows more air circulation into the privet’s center. It also allows more light into this sun-loving hedge while encouraging new leaf growth in the lower sections of the hedge.

...
haie de lauriers image by ninice64 from Fotolia.com

Set limits for the hedge by cutting branches that hang outside of the limits of the hedge. Lop them off close to the ground. Remove old, thick branches each spring to keep privet trunks small enough to trim easily.

...
Isolated hedge image by Pamela Uyttendaele from Fotolia.com

Level hedges with electric or hand clippers. Tie a string from one end of the hedge to the other along the top as a guide and clip along the guide to establish a level top to the hedge. Brush clippings off the top to avoid the development of fungal diseases as the severed foliage decomposes.

  • Clean out dead branches first, cutting all the way down to the ground.
  • Brush clippings off the top to avoid the development of fungal diseases as the severed foliage decomposes.
...
baddesley clinton manor house image by david hughes from Fotolia.com

Shape the hedge by cutting branches just to the basic outline of the hedge. The thickness of the shrub should decrease with height so the wider bottom gets enough sun. Making cuts at growth nodes helps shape the shrub; cuts between nodes encourage thick bushing along branches.

Tip

Privets are very tough shrubs. “Rehabilitate” overgrown hedges by cutting them back hard in fall to a few feet tall. They will double in height by early summer of the following year.

When you do rehabilitate privets, take the opportunity to clean out dead twigs and branches that have fallen in the thicket.

Always wear gloves when reaching into privets and other shrubs. Wear safety glasses when using hedge trimmers or working above eye level.

Kill invasive privet by cutting off branches near the ground and spraying with a herbicide containing glyphosate.

Warning

Hedge trimmers work well on thick privets, but whether using hedge trimmers or loppers and shears, clean up carefully after cutting privets. Clear away flowers and berries to avoid seeding new plants.

Related Articles

How to Prune Chinese Privet
How to Prune Chinese Privet
How to Cut Overgrown Hedges
How to Cut Overgrown Hedges
How to Prune Burford Holly Shrubs
How to Prune Burford Holly Shrubs
How to Care for a Privet Hedge
How to Care for a Privet Hedge
How to Trim Hedges in the Heat
How to Trim Hedges in the Heat
How to Cut Topiaries
How to Cut Topiaries
How to Make a Ficus Hedge
How to Make a Ficus Hedge
How to Trim Inkberry Shrubs
How to Trim Inkberry Shrubs
How to Restart a Holly Bush
How to Restart a Holly Bush
How to Prune Skyrocket Juniper
How to Prune Skyrocket Juniper
How to Shape a Laurel Hedge
How to Shape a Laurel Hedge
About Honeysuckle Vine Pruning
About Honeysuckle Vine Pruning
How to Remove Hedges
How to Remove Hedges
How to Prune Spirea Shrubs
How to Prune Spirea Shrubs
Garden Guides
×