Privet hedge pruning (with photo)

[Sorbustree123]

New garden has a very overgrown privet hedge down one side. Will it be okay to reduce the height by around half, from 4m to 2m? And will it be okay to do it at this time of year? Thanks!

Privet is as tough as old boots, so I'd be OK with cutting it back more to less any time of year (except when birds might be nesting in it)

@EdithWeston thank you! Anyone else had success taking this much off a privet hedge around this time of year?

We practically halved our privet, to bare sticks on our side, at this time of year and it was fine by the next spring. Privet really is tough!

I agree privet is really tough. We had a tall, dead in the middle hedge when we moved. The first year we cut it down by half to 4ft. The next year we took out much of the central branches and then shaped it so the top is narrower than the bottom. This was to let light into the middle. It’s looking much better now, but is still an ongoing project until it has lovely green leaves all over.

Thanks @weaselwords and @Beebumble2 did you cut back your privet around this time of year?

Just asked husband and I’m wrong, we did it in the spring. However our neighbour cut his back this time last year and it looked awful all winter, but has come back beautifully.

We did the first cut early summer and the big prune in Autumn. It soon grows again, now we cut late spring and Autumn.