Hi folks - first-time poster here with some pretty simple questions I'm sure, so please be kind!

I grew up in a hot and dry climate and so I'm pretty clueless when it comes to caring for and hedges.

At the place where my front garden where it meets the pavement, I planted a row of privet hedge plants last September. They are spaced out about 18 inches apart and are about five feet tall and still quite young, but have begun to sprout lots of little leaves over the past few weeks (of course).

As they have now started to grow, I have some questions about how to prune the plants so that they grow into the shape I want. Can you help me?

I want the plants to grow about 6-8 inches taller than they are now, and I also want them to "flesh out" a bit more. Little sprouts are starting to stick up. Should I trim them now or should I let them grow more?

How often should I trim privet hedge during the growing season?

Should I trim the sides as well?

Many thanks for your help and advice!

Good question. pruning information he

Many tree problems are associated with the following: They are Case
Sensitive.

Pruning
http://www.treedictionary.com/DICT2003/tree_pruning

Some people just use hedge trimmers. Thought you might desire targeted
information.

Sincerely,
John A. Keslick, Jr.
Consulting Forester & Tree Expert
www.treedictionary.com
Beware of so-called tree experts who do not understand tree biology.
Storms, fires, floods, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions keep reminding us
that we are not the boss.

"ajax" wrote in message
...

Hi folks - first-time poster here with some pretty simple questions I'm
sure, so please be kind!

I grew up in a hot and dry climate and so I'm pretty clueless when it
comes to caring for and hedges.

At the place where my front garden where it meets the pavement, I
planted a row of privet hedge plants last September. They are spaced
out about 18 inches apart and are about five feet tall and still quite
young, but have begun to sprout lots of little leaves over the past few
weeks (of course).

As they have now started to grow, I have some questions about how to
prune the plants so that they grow into the shape I want. Can you help
me?

I want the plants to grow about 6-8 inches taller than they are now,
and I also want them to "flesh out" a bit more. Little sprouts are
starting to stick up. Should I trim them now or should I let them grow
more?

How often should I trim privet hedge during the growing season?

Should I trim the sides as well?

Many thanks for your help and advice!




--
ajax

On 3/20/2008 1:12 PM, ajax wrote:
Hi folks - first-time poster here with some pretty simple questions I'm
sure, so please be kind!

I grew up in a hot and dry climate and so I'm pretty clueless when it
comes to caring for and hedges.

At the place where my front garden where it meets the pavement, I
planted a row of privet hedge plants last September. They are spaced
out about 18 inches apart and are about five feet tall and still quite
young, but have begun to sprout lots of little leaves over the past few
weeks (of course).

As they have now started to grow, I have some questions about how to
prune the plants so that they grow into the shape I want. Can you help
me?

I want the plants to grow about 6-8 inches taller than they are now,
and I also want them to "flesh out" a bit more. Little sprouts are
starting to stick up. Should I trim them now or should I let them grow
more?

How often should I trim privet hedge during the growing season?

Should I trim the sides as well?

Many thanks for your help and advice!

Privet (genus Ligustrum) takes very well to shearing. If you are
ambitious, you might even try topiary with them.

In general, a hedge should be sheared to be a little wider at the bottom
than at the top, with slightly sloping sides. This ensures that enough
light reaches the foliage at the bottom. With vertical sides, less
light reaches the bottom, resulting in die-out of the lower branches.

I'm a docent at a public garden that's a showcase of garden design
concepts from different parts of the world. The privet in the French
garden is sheared about once every second week from late spring until
middle fall and about once a month during the rest of the year. It's
kept to about 3 ft high. That's because the design concept for the
French garden is formality, with symmetry and geometry. In the French
garden, boxwood and even the star jasmine are also sheared. (In the
English garden, however, plants are not sheared; they billow irregularly.)

--
David E. Ross
Climate: California Mediterranean
Sunset Zone: 21 -- interior Santa Monica Mountains with some ocean
influence (USDA 10a, very close to Sunset Zone 19)
Gardening pages at http://www.rossde.com/garden/

....and the OP does not have a "problem". Either I watched too many Sopranos
episodes, or someone needs to take the resident tree shmexpert out behind a
dumpster for a tuneup, using a baseball bat.


"Jangchub" wrote in message
...
Privet is not a tree.


On Thu, 20 Mar 2008 20:49:48 -0400, "symplastless"
wrote:

Good question. pruning information he

Many tree problems are associated with the following: They are Case
Sensitive.

Pruning
http://www.treedictionary.com/DICT2003/tree_pruning

Some people just use hedge trimmers. Thought you might desire targeted
information.

Sincerely,
John A. Keslick, Jr.
Consulting Forester & Tree Expert
www.treedictionary.com
Beware of so-called tree experts who do not understand tree biology.
Storms, fires, floods, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions keep reminding
us
that we are not the boss.

"ajax" wrote in message
...

Hi folks - first-time poster here with some pretty simple questions I'm
sure, so please be kind!

I grew up in a hot and dry climate and so I'm pretty clueless when it
comes to caring for and hedges.

At the place where my front garden where it meets the pavement, I
planted a row of privet hedge plants last September. They are spaced
out about 18 inches apart and are about five feet tall and still quite
young, but have begun to sprout lots of little leaves over the past few
weeks (of course).

As they have now started to grow, I have some questions about how to
prune the plants so that they grow into the shape I want. Can you help
me?

I want the plants to grow about 6-8 inches taller than they are now,
and I also want them to "flesh out" a bit more. Little sprouts are
starting to stick up. Should I trim them now or should I let them grow
more?

How often should I trim privet hedge during the growing season?

Should I trim the sides as well?

Many thanks for your help and advice!




--
ajax

Thanks very much for the useful advice!

In article , Jangchub
wrote:

Privet is not a tree.

Pretty obviously symptomless's notions of treating a hedge row like a tree
is as usual worthless advice, and that lame generic page he spams
newsgroups about wouldn't be much use even if the questioner HAD been
asking how to trim privet trees.

Nevertheless, Ligustrum vulgare or lucidum can grow to thirty feet in
height, really fast growing aggressive trees and environmentally harmful
in some places, having in New Zealand for example begun to displace entire
forest ecosystems.

In the long run they're actually ROTTEN "shrubs" for hedging because they
want to be big, and when aggressively trimmed to force them to stay small
won't flower much if at all and get uglier and ugler as the branches
thicken into trucks with fewer and fewer leaves. Common choices yeah, but
crap, and really ought to be banned before naturalizing in even more
forests.

The Chinese privet is a bit easier to keep hedged if one must try it but
even that would rather be eight or twelve feet tall. And the Londense
privet (Ligustrum vulgare lodense) and Nanum privet (L. japonicum)
supposed to stay naturally small (under six feet even if never trimmed and
easily kept at four). But those aren't usually the "garden departments"
cheapies and its the common privet that gets poorly chosen for the
purpose.

-paghat the ratgirl


On Thu, 20 Mar 2008 20:49:48 -0400, "symplastless"
wrote:

Good question. pruning information he

Many tree problems are associated with the following: They are Case
Sensitive.

Pruning
http://www.treedictionary.com/DICT2003/tree_pruning

Some people just use hedge trimmers. Thought you might desire targeted
information.

Sincerely,
John A. Keslick, Jr.
Consulting Forester & Tree Expert
www.treedictionary.com
Beware of so-called tree experts who do not understand tree biology.
Storms, fires, floods, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions keep reminding us
that we are not the boss.

"ajax" wrote in message
...

Hi folks - first-time poster here with some pretty simple questions I'm
sure, so please be kind!

I grew up in a hot and dry climate and so I'm pretty clueless when it
comes to caring for and hedges.

At the place where my front garden where it meets the pavement, I
planted a row of privet hedge plants last September. They are spaced
out about 18 inches apart and are about five feet tall and still quite
young, but have begun to sprout lots of little leaves over the past few
weeks (of course).

As they have now started to grow, I have some questions about how to
prune the plants so that they grow into the shape I want. Can you help
me?

I want the plants to grow about 6-8 inches taller than they are now,
and I also want them to "flesh out" a bit more. Little sprouts are
starting to stick up. Should I trim them now or should I let them grow
more?

How often should I trim privet hedge during the growing season?

Should I trim the sides as well?

Many thanks for your help and advice!




--
ajax

--
visit my temperate gardening website:
http://www.paghat.com.html
visit my film reviews webiste:
http://www.weirdwildrealm.com

Privet is a woody plant that most likely compartmentalize wounds. They
surely don't heal wounds. I would bet you could get a doughnut orf callus
result if you pruned at the right target.

All options should be on the table.

While I am at it here are some common issues with woody plants and their
associates for the newbie.

Many tree problems are associated with the following: They are Case
Sensitive.

Unhealthy Trees from the Nursery / Improper Planting
http://www.treedictionary.com/DICT20..._planting.html

Improper Mulching -
http://www.treedictionary.com/DICT2003/M/mulch.html

Improper Pruning
http://www.treedictionary.com/DICT2003/tree_pruning

Improper Fertilization (See A Touch of Chemistry)
http://www.treedictionary.com/DICT2003/shigo/CHEM.html

Tree Farming and Related Problems
http://www.treedictionary.com/DICT2003/SOUND/

Troubles in the Rhizosphere
http://www.treedictionary.com/DICT2003/shigo/RHIZO.html

Sincerely,
John A. Keslick, Jr.
Consulting Forester & Tree Expert
www.treedictionary.com
Beware of so-called tree experts who do not understand tree biology.
Storms, fires, floods, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions keep reminding us
that we are not the boss.







"Jangchub" wrote in message
...
Privet is not a tree.


On Thu, 20 Mar 2008 20:49:48 -0400, "symplastless"
wrote:

Good question. pruning information he

Many tree problems are associated with the following: They are Case
Sensitive.

Pruning
http://www.treedictionary.com/DICT2003/tree_pruning

Some people just use hedge trimmers. Thought you might desire targeted
information.

Sincerely,
John A. Keslick, Jr.
Consulting Forester & Tree Expert
www.treedictionary.com
Beware of so-called tree experts who do not understand tree biology.
Storms, fires, floods, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions keep reminding
us
that we are not the boss.

"ajax" wrote in message
...

Hi folks - first-time poster here with some pretty simple questions I'm
sure, so please be kind!

I grew up in a hot and dry climate and so I'm pretty clueless when it
comes to caring for and hedges.

At the place where my front garden where it meets the pavement, I
planted a row of privet hedge plants last September. They are spaced
out about 18 inches apart and are about five feet tall and still quite
young, but have begun to sprout lots of little leaves over the past few
weeks (of course).

As they have now started to grow, I have some questions about how to
prune the plants so that they grow into the shape I want. Can you help
me?

I want the plants to grow about 6-8 inches taller than they are now,
and I also want them to "flesh out" a bit more. Little sprouts are
starting to stick up. Should I trim them now or should I let them grow
more?

How often should I trim privet hedge during the growing season?

Should I trim the sides as well?

Many thanks for your help and advice!




--
ajax

You sound like a violent person or a criminal. Maybe a career criminal.


--
Sincerely,
John A. Keslick, Jr.
Consulting Forester & Tree Expert
http://home.ccil.org/~treeman
and www.treedictionary.com
Beware of so-called tree experts who do not understand tree biology.
Storms, fires, floods, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions keep reminding us
that we are not the boss.

"JoeSpareBedroom" wrote in message
news
...and the OP does not have a "problem". Either I watched too many
Sopranos episodes, or someone needs to take the resident tree shmexpert
out behind a dumpster for a tuneup, using a baseball bat.


"Jangchub" wrote in message
...
Privet is not a tree.


On Thu, 20 Mar 2008 20:49:48 -0400, "symplastless"
wrote:

Good question. pruning information he

Many tree problems are associated with the following: They are Case
Sensitive.

Pruning
http://www.treedictionary.com/DICT2003/tree_pruning

Some people just use hedge trimmers. Thought you might desire targeted
information.

Sincerely,
John A. Keslick, Jr.
Consulting Forester & Tree Expert
www.treedictionary.com
Beware of so-called tree experts who do not understand tree biology.
Storms, fires, floods, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions keep reminding
us
that we are not the boss.

"ajax" wrote in message
...

Hi folks - first-time poster here with some pretty simple questions I'm
sure, so please be kind!

I grew up in a hot and dry climate and so I'm pretty clueless when it
comes to caring for and hedges.

At the place where my front garden where it meets the pavement, I
planted a row of privet hedge plants last September. They are spaced
out about 18 inches apart and are about five feet tall and still quite
young, but have begun to sprout lots of little leaves over the past few
weeks (of course).

As they have now started to grow, I have some questions about how to
prune the plants so that they grow into the shape I want. Can you help
me?

I want the plants to grow about 6-8 inches taller than they are now,
and I also want them to "flesh out" a bit more. Little sprouts are
starting to stick up. Should I trim them now or should I let them grow
more?

How often should I trim privet hedge during the growing season?

Should I trim the sides as well?

Many thanks for your help and advice!




--
ajax

Joe

Maybe you could explain at least five major differences between the way a
woody plant other than a tree compartmentalizes wounds.

Or maybe even explain five "anatomy" difference between a woody root of a
woody plant and the woody stem of a woody plant.

About threatening me with a baseball bat - threats of violence may not be in
your best interest. is that what you really desire?

--
Sincerely,
John A. Keslick, Jr.
Consulting Forester & Tree Expert
http://home.ccil.org/~treeman
and www.treedictionary.com
Beware of so-called tree experts who do not understand tree biology.
Storms, fires, floods, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions keep reminding us
that we are not the boss.



"JoeSpareBedroom" wrote in message
news
...and the OP does not have a "problem". Either I watched too many
Sopranos episodes, or someone needs to take the resident tree shmexpert
out behind a dumpster for a tuneup, using a baseball bat.


"Jangchub" wrote in message
...
Privet is not a tree.


On Thu, 20 Mar 2008 20:49:48 -0400, "symplastless"
wrote:

Good question. pruning information he

Many tree problems are associated with the following: They are Case
Sensitive.

Pruning
http://www.treedictionary.com/DICT2003/tree_pruning

Some people just use hedge trimmers. Thought you might desire targeted
information.

Sincerely,
John A. Keslick, Jr.
Consulting Forester & Tree Expert
www.treedictionary.com
Beware of so-called tree experts who do not understand tree biology.
Storms, fires, floods, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions keep reminding
us
that we are not the boss.

"ajax" wrote in message
...

Hi folks - first-time poster here with some pretty simple questions I'm
sure, so please be kind!

I grew up in a hot and dry climate and so I'm pretty clueless when it
comes to caring for and hedges.

At the place where my front garden where it meets the pavement, I
planted a row of privet hedge plants last September. They are spaced
out about 18 inches apart and are about five feet tall and still quite
young, but have begun to sprout lots of little leaves over the past few
weeks (of course).

As they have now started to grow, I have some questions about how to
prune the plants so that they grow into the shape I want. Can you help
me?

I want the plants to grow about 6-8 inches taller than they are now,
and I also want them to "flesh out" a bit more. Little sprouts are
starting to stick up. Should I trim them now or should I let them grow
more?

How often should I trim privet hedge during the growing season?

Should I trim the sides as well?

Many thanks for your help and advice!




--
ajax

"symplastless" wrote in message
...
Joe

Maybe you could explain at least five major differences between the way a
woody plant other than a tree compartmentalizes wounds.

Or maybe even explain five "anatomy" difference between a woody root of a
woody plant and the woody stem of a woody plant.

About threatening me with a baseball bat - threats of violence may not be
in your best interest. is that what you really desire?


At the moment, yes. And I doubt anyone in this newsgroup would mind if I
worked over your fingers first.

Joe

What is your real name? Do you think you are hiding? I have given your comment on which I assume you are suggesting to people on this list to use a baseball bat on me, some extended thought. You now have 101% of my attention. I am not a person that takes threats and such suggestions lightly. I do believe in non-violent direct action. I now consider you as a threat. Now lets see how a person responds when threatened. Trees always respond when threatened. They survive for many many years, many longer than humans under the right condition, as a sugar maple that can have parenchyma cells live for up to 150 years if things go right.

You have chosen to take this news group to a higher level. One of threats of violence and bodily harm. It was your decision. A poor one if you ask me.

Don't you think I should survive like a tree and respond? If not please explain why not. You have 3 days or I will turn this over to a higher power, meaning a higher power than you.

--
Sincerely,
John A. Keslick, Jr.
Consulting Forester & Tree Expert
http://home.ccil.org/~treeman
and www.treedictionary.com
Beware of so-called tree experts who do not understand tree biology.
Storms, fires, floods, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions keep reminding us that we are not the boss.


"JoeSpareBedroom" wrote in message news
...and the OP does not have a "problem". Either I watched too many Sopranos
episodes, or someone needs to take the resident tree shmexpert out behind a
dumpster for a tuneup, using a baseball bat.


"Jangchub" wrote in message
...
Privet is not a tree.


On Thu, 20 Mar 2008 20:49:48 -0400, "symplastless"
wrote:

Good question. pruning information he

Many tree problems are associated with the following: They are Case
Sensitive.

Pruning
http://www.treedictionary.com/DICT2003/tree_pruning

Some people just use hedge trimmers. Thought you might desire targeted
information.

Sincerely,
John A. Keslick, Jr.
Consulting Forester & Tree Expert
www.treedictionary.com
Beware of so-called tree experts who do not understand tree biology.
Storms, fires, floods, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions keep reminding
us
that we are not the boss.

"ajax" wrote in message
...

Hi folks - first-time poster here with some pretty simple questions I'm
sure, so please be kind!

I grew up in a hot and dry climate and so I'm pretty clueless when it
comes to caring for and hedges.

At the place where my front garden where it meets the pavement, I
planted a row of privet hedge plants last September. They are spaced
out about 18 inches apart and are about five feet tall and still quite
young, but have begun to sprout lots of little leaves over the past few
weeks (of course).

As they have now started to grow, I have some questions about how to
prune the plants so that they grow into the shape I want. Can you help
me?

I want the plants to grow about 6-8 inches taller than they are now,
and I also want them to "flesh out" a bit more. Little sprouts are
starting to stick up. Should I trim them now or should I let them grow
more?

How often should I trim privet hedge during the growing season?

Should I trim the sides as well?

Many thanks for your help and advice!




--
ajax

Please go back to drinking whatever it is you drink, boy. And be very quiet.

"Jangchub" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 21 Mar 2008 22:03:04 -0400, "symplastless"
wrote:

Joe

What is your real name? Do you think you are hiding? I have given your
comment on which I assume you are suggesting to people on this list to use
a baseball bat on me, some extended thought. You now have 101% of my
attention. I am not a person that takes threats and such suggestions
lightly. I do believe in non-violent direct action. I now consider you
as a threat. Now lets see how a person responds when threatened. Trees
always respond when threatened. They survive for many many years, many
longer than humans under the right condition, as a sugar maple that can
have parenchyma cells live for up to 150 years if things go right.

You have chosen to take this news group to a higher level. One of threats
of violence and bodily harm. It was your decision. A poor one if you ask
me.

Don't you think I should survive like a tree and respond? If not please
explain why not. You have 3 days or I will turn this over to a higher
power, meaning a higher power than you.

This is not an HTML friendly place. Get a grip. Nobody seriously
threatened you. People here are pretty sure you have some problems,
and no sense of humor.


A sense of humor requires a brain.

If only your problems could be explained by improper mulching. But, I
suspect your parents used your head as a battering ram to open the door when
they locked their keys in the house.




"symplastless" wrote in message
. ..
Privet is a woody plant that most likely compartmentalize wounds. They
surely don't heal wounds. I would bet you could get a doughnut orf callus
result if you pruned at the right target.

All options should be on the table.

While I am at it here are some common issues with woody plants and their
associates for the newbie.

Many tree problems are associated with the following: They are Case
Sensitive.

Unhealthy Trees from the Nursery / Improper Planting
http://www.treedictionary.com/DICT20..._planting.html

Improper Mulching -
http://www.treedictionary.com/DICT2003/M/mulch.html

Improper Pruning
http://www.treedictionary.com/DICT2003/tree_pruning

Improper Fertilization (See A Touch of Chemistry)
http://www.treedictionary.com/DICT2003/shigo/CHEM.html

Tree Farming and Related Problems
http://www.treedictionary.com/DICT2003/SOUND/

Troubles in the Rhizosphere
http://www.treedictionary.com/DICT2003/shigo/RHIZO.html

Sincerely,
John A. Keslick, Jr.
Consulting Forester & Tree Expert
www.treedictionary.com
Beware of so-called tree experts who do not understand tree biology.
Storms, fires, floods, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions keep reminding
us that we are not the boss.







"Jangchub" wrote in message
...
Privet is not a tree.


On Thu, 20 Mar 2008 20:49:48 -0400, "symplastless"
wrote:

Good question. pruning information he

Many tree problems are associated with the following: They are Case
Sensitive.

Pruning
http://www.treedictionary.com/DICT2003/tree_pruning

Some people just use hedge trimmers. Thought you might desire targeted
information.

Sincerely,
John A. Keslick, Jr.
Consulting Forester & Tree Expert
www.treedictionary.com
Beware of so-called tree experts who do not understand tree biology.
Storms, fires, floods, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions keep reminding
us
that we are not the boss.

"ajax" wrote in message
...

Hi folks - first-time poster here with some pretty simple questions I'm
sure, so please be kind!

I grew up in a hot and dry climate and so I'm pretty clueless when it
comes to caring for and hedges.

At the place where my front garden where it meets the pavement, I
planted a row of privet hedge plants last September. They are spaced
out about 18 inches apart and are about five feet tall and still quite
young, but have begun to sprout lots of little leaves over the past few
weeks (of course).

As they have now started to grow, I have some questions about how to
prune the plants so that they grow into the shape I want. Can you help
me?

I want the plants to grow about 6-8 inches taller than they are now,
and I also want them to "flesh out" a bit more. Little sprouts are
starting to stick up. Should I trim them now or should I let them grow
more?

How often should I trim privet hedge during the growing season?

Should I trim the sides as well?

Many thanks for your help and advice!




--
ajax

With what, doughnuts?


--
Sincerely,
John A. Keslick, Jr.
Consulting Forester & Tree Expert
http://home.ccil.org/~treeman
and www.treedictionary.com
Beware of so-called tree experts who do not understand tree biology.
Storms, fires, floods, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions keep reminding us
that we are not the boss.

"Jangchub" wrote in message
...
I am thinking you have some issues.



On Fri, 21 Mar 2008 21:20:49 -0400, "symplastless"
wrote:

Privet is a woody plant that most likely compartmentalize wounds. They
surely don't heal wounds. I would bet you could get a doughnut orf callus
result if you pruned at the right target.

All options should be on the table.

While I am at it here are some common issues with woody plants and their
associates for the newbie.

Many tree problems are associated with the following: They are Case
Sensitive.

Unhealthy Trees from the Nursery / Improper Planting
http://www.treedictionary.com/DICT20..._planting.html

Improper Mulching -
http://www.treedictionary.com/DICT2003/M/mulch.html

Improper Pruning
http://www.treedictionary.com/DICT2003/tree_pruning

Improper Fertilization (See A Touch of Chemistry)
http://www.treedictionary.com/DICT2003/shigo/CHEM.html

Tree Farming and Related Problems
http://www.treedictionary.com/DICT2003/SOUND/

Troubles in the Rhizosphere
http://www.treedictionary.com/DICT2003/shigo/RHIZO.html

Sincerely,
John A. Keslick, Jr.
Consulting Forester & Tree Expert
www.treedictionary.com
Beware of so-called tree experts who do not understand tree biology.
Storms, fires, floods, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions keep reminding
us
that we are not the boss.







"Jangchub" wrote in message
. ..
Privet is not a tree.


On Thu, 20 Mar 2008 20:49:48 -0400, "symplastless"
wrote:

Good question. pruning information he

Many tree problems are associated with the following: They are Case
Sensitive.

Pruning
http://www.treedictionary.com/DICT2003/tree_pruning

Some people just use hedge trimmers. Thought you might desire targeted
information.

Sincerely,
John A. Keslick, Jr.
Consulting Forester & Tree Expert
www.treedictionary.com
Beware of so-called tree experts who do not understand tree biology.
Storms, fires, floods, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions keep
reminding
us
that we are not the boss.

"ajax" wrote in message
...

Hi folks - first-time poster here with some pretty simple questions
I'm
sure, so please be kind!

I grew up in a hot and dry climate and so I'm pretty clueless when it
comes to caring for and hedges.

At the place where my front garden where it meets the pavement, I
planted a row of privet hedge plants last September. They are spaced
out about 18 inches apart and are about five feet tall and still quite
young, but have begun to sprout lots of little leaves over the past
few
weeks (of course).

As they have now started to grow, I have some questions about how to
prune the plants so that they grow into the shape I want. Can you
help
me?

I want the plants to grow about 6-8 inches taller than they are now,
and I also want them to "flesh out" a bit more. Little sprouts are
starting to stick up. Should I trim them now or should I let them
grow
more?

How often should I trim privet hedge during the growing season?

Should I trim the sides as well?

Many thanks for your help and advice!




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