When to plant and prune Privet
Privet flowers from late June to late July and the dates below cover planting, flowering and the pruning window.
Planting, flowering and pruning by region
Privet is grown to the calendar rather than to the frost, so the same dates apply across the whole UK and every region below reads the same. Where a plant’s timings do follow the frost, Plot shifts them from the Midlands and Lowland Wales baseline using Met Office average frost dates.
| Where you are | Plant | In flower | Prune |
|---|---|---|---|
| South West Coast and Cornwall | early September to late October | late June to late July | late May to late September |
| South Coast and Channel | early September to late October | late June to late July | late May to late September |
| Greater London (Urban Heat Island) | early September to late October | late June to late July | late May to late September |
| South East and Home Counties | early September to late October | late June to late July | late May to late September |
| East Anglia | early September to late October | late June to late July | late May to late September |
| Midlands and Lowland Wales | early September to late October | late June to late July | late May to late September |
| Wales and West Coast | early September to late October | late June to late July | late May to late September |
| Northern England | early September to late October | late June to late July | late May to late September |
| Scotland Lowlands and Central Belt | early September to late October | late June to late July | late May to late September |
| Scotland Highlands and Islands | early September to late October | late June to late July | late May to late September |
| Northern Ireland | early September to late October | late June to late July | late May to late September |
| Channel Islands and Isle of Man | early September to late October | late June to late July | late May to late September |
Growing notes
Cheap, fast and almost indestructible on poor soil, which is why it dominates Victorian and new-build front gardens, but it is only semi-evergreen in a hard winter and its dense roots rob the ground beside it. It is also notably prone to honey fungus.
At a glance
- Spacing
- 30 cm between plants
- Eventual height
- 200 cm
- Eventual spread
- 80 cm
- Hardiness
- H5
- Sun
- Full
- Frost tender
- No
- Grows in a container
- No
- Balcony rating
- 1 out of 5
Feeding
A general purpose fertiliser in late winter supports the fast growth; privet is a hungry, thirsty hedge.
Pruning: what to avoid
It needs several cuts a year, and most of those fall inside the nesting season, so check the hedge before every trim. Do not cut hedges between March and August without checking first: under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 it is an offence to damage or destroy the nest of any wild bird while it is in use or being built, and the main UK nesting season runs from about early March to August.
Pruning group
Trim two or three times during the growing season to keep it neat
Bare-root season
Bare-root stock is lifted and sold while dormant, from early November to late February. Container-grown plants can go in at other times of year, but bare-root is cheaper and establishes well.
What usually goes wrong
- honey fungus
- leaf loss in hard winters
- needs frequent trimming
- dry, root-filled soil alongside the hedge
- golden forms revert to green
Related guides
Timings cross-checked against RHS guidance for privet.