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Pruning guide · Shrub
Privet: when and how to prune
Ligustrum ovalifolium
Clip a privet hedge two or three times a year, in May–June and in August–September.
Garden privet grows fast and only stays dense and neat if you clip it regularly; in a mild winter it keeps most of its leaves.
| Pruning months | May–June and August–September |
|---|---|
| Nesting season (15 March–15 August) | Take care in May–June and August |
| Flowering | June–July |
| Good for bees, butterflies and birds | Yes, for bees, butterflies and birds |
| Native to Belgium | No, planted |
| Poisonous to people and pets | Yes, take care with children and pets |
Privet: when to prune it?
The first trim comes in May–June, when the spring shoots are a hand’s length long. The second follows in August–September; a vigorous hedge may need an extra trim in June.
Don’t clip after September: shoots that still grow after that won’t harden off before winter and get frosted.
Choose an overcast day without heat: small leaves suddenly exposed to full sun after clipping scorch.
What else to prune in those months? May · June · August · September
Privet: how to prune it?
- Before every trim, check for nesting birds: privet is a favourite nesting place for blackbirds.
- Stretch a line for a straight top and clip the sides at a slight angle, wider at the bottom than at the top.
- Clip with hedge trimmers just above the previous cut: that way the hedge keeps its width and closes up again quickly.
- Cut a new hedge back to about 15 cm above the ground after planting, and trim it lightly twice more in the first year: that way it branches from the base.
- An old, bare hedge can be cut back to 30 cm above the ground in spring: privet grows back dense. Do it early, before the birds start nesting.
- If you want flowers and berries, leave part of the hedge or a single shrub unclipped.
How much to cut, and how often?
- Two or three trims a year, each time removing only the new growth.
- A hedge clipped only once a year becomes loose and open, and bare at the bottom.
- Cutting back hard to 30 cm is possible, but not every year: give the hedge two or three years afterwards to fill in again.
What does it mean for wildlife?
- Blackbirds, dunnocks and whitethroats like to nest in privet. From 15 March to 15 August, look carefully between the branches first: disturbing an active nest is against the law. If you wait until after 15 August, you are outside the nesting season.
- If you let part of it flower, the scented white panicles are full of bees, hoverflies and butterflies in June–July; in autumn birds eat the black berries.
- For wildlife, wild privet is the better choice: it is native and feeds more insects. As a hedge it is clipped at the same times.
- Clippings belong on the compost heap or a dead hedge, not in a field: the leaves and berries are poisonous to horses and livestock.
Common mistakes
- Clipping only once a year, so the hedge becomes open and bare at the base.
- Clipping in May or June without checking for nests first.
- Giving clippings to animals: privet is poisonous to dogs, cats, horses and livestock.
- Clipping too late in the year, so the young shoots don’t survive the frost.
Caution: Before clipping, check that no birds are nesting in the hedge (mid-March to mid-August). Privet is poisonous: wear gloves and keep clippings away from children, pets and livestock.
Nearby: related pruning guides
Similar to: Difference from wild privet · Difference from laurustinus · Difference from box