Hi, I wouldn't recommend planting privet to anyone, if you intend to have trees and shrubs in your border, the hornbeam may well get integrated into your border, rather than a hedge, what about Escallonia or berberis, Derek:-).

Best remember that hedges get wider with age - eg hornbeam will reach a metre wide. How much width have you planned for it to take? Is it for privacy or just as a boundary? Does it need to be evergreen?

Crikey Steragram...one metre wide!! I just need a backdrop as the area between the border and the garage is not very attractive. I'd naively thought if we keep on top of the pruning we could have a skinny hedge LOL. Derek apart from privet not being native what are the drawbacks? Will consider your suggestions re Escallonia or berberis :-)

Both those will get wide though. If you are thinking skinny why not just put up trellis, possibly even on the garage and have a climber on it? Avoid privet at all costs as it will take all the goodness from your border, and it doesn't do skinny either. Or if you site is suitable had you thought of a row of tall roses such as Queen Elizabeth?

I really need to think this one through. Bit trellised out as I have such small space I went bananas on vertical planting. Like the rose idea so will have a look tomorrow night. Thanks for all of your comments and suggestions. Jx

Privet is a gross feeder, meaning that it takes all the nourishment from the soil, making it almost impossible to grow anything near it. When we removed a privet hedge we regained about a metre and a half of garden.

I've got a kind of fedge at the front of my property, kept at 4 foot 6 inches high, and about 4 inches thick, made from bare root whips of native Euonymus. It's deciduous, spindly (ha) and see-through, and it's reinforced at the moment with 8 foot bamboo canes running horizontally with the growth tied in like an espalier apple!
It's dull as ditchwater most of the time but the fruits are lovely in September, and the foliage is a good red in October.
I chose the plant because it has squarey stems and thows out shoots from all 4 sides, so you can keep the growth left to right, and pinch out the growth front to back.

I had very little luck with Escallonia. It became leggy, lost lots of leaves around the base and suffered badly from spotting and yellowing of the leaves. Replaced it with Taxus (Yew). It is evergreen, formal and manageable. Really pleased with it.

Teadrinker, made me smile - spindley! Very good, can't fault it for that can you?

I'm starting to think my grandad must have put a lot of cow manure at the base of his privet hedge (being a dairy farmer this resource was in abundance LOL). Had also considered Yew, slow growing but as you say Jim v manageable. Must admit I'd rather plant a native than privet so yew now back on the list for consideration :-)