Privet

Moggaman

Hi.
I need to plant a hedge to give privacy between me and the neighbours . I am looking at privet .. would that be private in winter ?
Thanks

macraignil

I have a privet shrub and it keeps most of its leaves over winter but I have read other people describing it as semi-evergreen and the RHS page describes it as deciduous so if your priority is privacy in winter it might not be the best choice. One of my favorite potential hedge shrubs that is evergreen would be some of the pittosporums and this variety called silver queen has nice bright variegation to its leaves. Also pyracantha, cotoneaster franchetii and Darwin's barberry are more reliably evergreen and have nice features like flowers and berries.

The Continental Op

Essentially there are two main types of privet for hedging the original Wild Privet Ligustrum vulgare (which may be native it is in the UK?) and the definitely imported Japanese Privet Ligustrum ovalifolium. There are of course varieties of both of them.

The difference is that the Japanese import holds its leaves for longer. The Wild Privet is much better for wild life as its the principle food of the the Privet Hawk Moth. The wild one is ideal to add to the mix for field hedges.

Moggaman

The Continental Op wrote: »

Essentially there are two main types of privet for hedging the original Wild Privet Ligustrum vulgare (which may be native it is in the UK?) and the definitely imported Japanese Privet Ligustrum ovalifolium. There are of course varieties of both of them.

The difference is that the Japanese import holds its leaves for longer. The Wild Privet is much better for wild life as its the principle food of the the Privet Hawk Moth. The wild one is ideal to add to the mix for field hedges.

What about lawsons cypress hedge ?

The Continental Op

Moggaman wrote: »

What about lawsons cypress hedge ?

Grows to fast. gets to wide, gets too high, goes brown if you cut it back to hard, needs regular maintenance and always gets to big.

My favourite is yew and in good condtions you can have some coverage from pot grown plants in about 5 years.

Well maintained and correctly cut beach and better still hornbean keep their dead leaves over winter and can provide a good solid screen.

looksee

Eleagnus makes a beautiful hedge https://futureforests.ie/collections/evergreen-hedging/products/elaeagnus-x-ebbingei

Edit - on your original point, Privet makes a sturdy evergreen hedge (the cultivated ones sold as hedging) that will take any amount of abuse. If it gets straggly or overgrown you can cut it down to a foot high and you will have a new hedge in a season or so. Its not very interesting looking though.

49801

looksee wrote: »

Eleagnus makes a beautiful hedge https://futureforests.ie/collections/evergreen-hedging/products/elaeagnus-x-ebbingei

What’s the annual maintenance like? Once or twice yearly cutting?