I have A Privet Hedge that I need to remove.
The hedge is at least 30 years old
8ft high and of vigorous habit.
The problem is that it run's directly above the incoming services.
Doe anyone know if these are deep rooted or of a shallow spread.
Thanks
I'm sorry, I can't find an answer from my gardening books whether privet is deep rooted or not.
What I would do is cut the plants off at the base, and if you know the route the services come on to the property, gently firtle about to locate the pipes, etc, and take out the roots.
I have to say, privet is a total thug. It is in my 'harder to kill than grow' category. Takes all the nutrients out of the soil for yards around. Another member of the family is lilac.
I wish you luck BAC42
valmarg
I dont think t is too deep, probaly about 12". If you dont mind herbicides you can just cut it off and brush weedkiller on the stumps, its so much easier 8)
Probably depends on the soil depth but in my expereince they are quite shallow rooted plants. I removed several from my garden a few years ago than formed a hedge but were past it. Unlike other shrubs I have had to grub out over the years these were not too difficult. The only problem would be if the roots were entangled with another tree or shrub that you wanted to keep.
I hate privet.Have awful memories of when I was young.Every Sunday I helped my mum and Dad cut yards of the stuff ,and then the clearing up.
Quote from: betula on July 05, 2008, 12:46:05
I hate privet.Have awful memories of when I was young.Every Sunday I helped my mum and Dad cut yards of the stuff ,and then the clearing up.
I rather like it. Prefer Beech or Yew though.
I have similar memories to you about a leyland cypress hedge. had one at home when i was a child and had to help cut it. Became alergic to the sap (just touching the foliage makes my skin itch even nowadays) and the smell of it makes me nauseous.
I used to cut our privet hedge when I were a lad and loved doing it. The satiasfaction of a good job done was great. Of course it was with hedge clippers in those days. The hedge was only about twenty yards ong so it wasnt too bad. My hedge at my current hame is about fifty yards and quite wide, hawthorn and beech. I cut it once or twice a year avoiding nesting time. When I first moved in it was about twenty feet tall and I reduced it with a chainsaw to a more manageable size. Any hedge is great for wildlife, fening panels should only be a temporay thing in my opinion.
I had 2 removed not by choice - by a builder when he built my wall at the front of my house. The hole was about 20"deep. (Not so sure if this was the root system or him being excessive)
I know they take time and effort to maintain, but having had problems with fences I do prefer hedges both in terms of longevity and appearance. The privet hedge I spoke of earlier that I had to remove was past it (very gappy and dying in places), but I wish it had not been otherwise i might have thought twice about removing it (hindsight is a wonderfull thin isnt it?) In its place we have a now shabby looking panel fence which was put up in the wrong place and needs replacing. Wouldnt have either problem with a hedge.
Quote from: Garden Apprentice on July 05, 2008, 12:51:01
Quote from: betula on July 05, 2008, 12:46:05
I hate privet.Have awful memories of when I was young.Every Sunday I helped my mum and Dad cut yards of the stuff ,and then the clearing up.
I rather like it. Prefer Beech or Yew though.
Living in a property where the front is west facing, and obviously the back east facing, either side, the north/south aspects we have beech hedging. I hate it. It doesn't shed its leaves in Winter, so no matter which way the wind blows our garden is full (and I mean FULL) of leaves.
Personally, would prefer something evergreen. ;D
valmarg
I like my privet hedge. I cut it only 2 or 3 times a year. The birds seem to like nesting in it. It was about 12 feet when we bought the house but I restrict it to about 6 feet now. I feed it regularly since they are greedy plants. I don't think they are very deep rooted.
You can salvage a gappy deciduous hedge by coppicing it. Just cut it down to a few inches above ground level, and let it re-grow. Keep pruning hard while it does so, for thick growth. You'll probably need a temporary fence as it takes several years, but the end result is worth it, and quicker than growing an entirely new hedge.
After much hemming and hawing we took out an old yew hedge which was so tall even on a ladder it was impossible to prune and the trunks needed a chainsaw. I hadn't realized how wide it had become. There was room for a nice
6 x 25 ft productive veg. garden with it gone!
Quote from: valmarg on July 07, 2008, 15:53:29
Quote from: Garden Apprentice on July 05, 2008, 12:51:01
Quote from: betula on July 05, 2008, 12:46:05
I hate privet.Have awful memories of when I was young.Every Sunday I helped my mum and Dad cut yards of the stuff ,and then the clearing up.
I rather like it. Prefer Beech or Yew though.
Living in a property where the front is west facing, and obviously the back east facing, either side, the north/south aspects we have beech hedging. I hate it. It doesn't shed its leaves in Winter, so no matter which way the wind blows our garden is full (and I mean FULL) of leaves.
Personally, would prefer something evergreen. ;D
valmarg
You could make plenty of leafmould with the beech leaves. Cant do that with evergreens ;-) LOL. Sorry, its just I see a beech hedge in a neighbours garden 365 days a year and think how nice it looks even in winter.