Is my privet about to die?

Hi there,

I am concerned with my privet I put down last March.... it feels about to die.
During the summer, even with the draught, grew up like 30cm, but since the winter started it has also started loosing all leaves.



My privet is facing south and I live in Sussex. I used to have chippings on ground to protect from frost.

Shall I take any action to save it?

thanks a lot!

 

Hi,

Suggest you take drastic action and just leave it well alone !!

Green and Golden privet can withstand lots of hard weather, though some or all of its leaves can be lost, more so on a tall thin young bush like yours.

Come spring when the weather starts to warm up, then give it a handful of fertilizer like Grow More or Fish Blood and Bone, keep well watered and you should have a nice looking plant by May.

 

Oh ok nice. I thought it was suppose to keep green leaves during the entire winter.
Definitely water is not a problem right now ☺️

thanks

 

We had hard frost for over a week here, if you got anything like that privet will defoliate, especially if its young.

 

Hi, I’m having the same issue. I bought them because I’m sure I read they were full evergreen. Although mine are in its 2nd year, last year this didn’t happen (although they were young and didn’t have many green leaves). So do you guys think it could be a one off issue and when they get older, stronger and thicker they may stay full green in winter, is that a possibility?

My post: Privett Help!

 

Is this the yellow form of privet, or was it a good dark green in summer.

 

I have the same issue (above post). Yes mine were relatively dense lush dark green, only the last month or so they have significantly changed colour and started to loose them all :(

 

If you have had hard frost privet will lose its leaves, did it look OK before the cold snap a few weeks ago.

 

yeah believe it looked ok before the Dec frost spell. Do you think when they are older, Stronger and denser it may not happen? Cheers

 

Well, less likely I would think, privet defoliates in Kent where I live very rarely, I dont have any myself these days and there is not a lot in gardens around me.

Depending on your location the cold spell was a lot harder and longer than I've seen in a good few years.
So hopefully its just the sudden drop in temperature that has caused it.

 

thanks! Maybe I should have gone with Red Robin or Laurel :(

 

I'd stick with the privet, I cut a neighbours hedge of laurel and it never looks good because you always end up with big leaves cut in half.
To me Red Robin is a shrub, I know people use it as a hedge and then end up having to cut all the red bits off.