By Shaunraven
United Kingdom 
Hi There
I planted a hedge row of privet (around 300) in Feb 2014 and they have all grown at totally different amounts which I pressume is due to the different types of soil there in. Some have reached around 4-5ft high and some don't appear to have grown much at all.
I would like the hedge to be a good 8ft tall and quite thick as it is to seclude our garden from a road.
People are telling me I need to nip the the tops off to make them fill out but I thought this would stop them growing in hieght.
Is this the case or can I nip the tops off and they'll still grow in hieght?
Can send some pictures if you require
Many thanks
Shaun
7 Jun, 2016
Answers
For a good, dense hedge, the plants should have been hard pruned after planting - bare root plants by about half their height and container grown ones to about two thirds of their height, then in the second year, you clip about 4 times between May and August. This is done to create a hedge that's broader and leafy at the base.
Obviously, this hasn't been done, so you may want to consider reducing the taller ones down to the height of the smaller plants, but if the smaller ones aren't growing, or are some feet shorter, then this presents a difficulty. Or you may want to consider replacing the ones which haven't grown properly, as well as pruning down by half.
8 Jun, 2016
Hi there.
It won't stop the privet from growing in height, believe me - quite the reverse! But 'nipping out the tops' isn't the answer - you need to give it a really good haircut, top and sides, to encourage it to thicken up.
Bear in mind that an 8ft-high hedge will be difficult to trim, and privet generally needs trimming twice a year. It's not one of those hedging plants that you can just leave to its own devices. It needs a lot of work, and it will be a few years before it reaches your desired height and thickness.
8 Jun, 2016