Pruning a newly planted golden privet hedge.
By Tonyandgay
Gloucestershire,
United Kingdom 
We planted the hedge earlier this year the plants being 12" apart. It seems to be doing well and is now about 2 ft high. We want it to reach about 4 ft in height. Should we let it get to the height we want before we start pruning it, or should we prune it little and often to make it thicken up, especially at the base? Thank you.
3 Jul, 2009
Usual advice is to cut back bare root plants to about half their height and container grown plants to about two thirds of their original height, BUT this should have been done when they were planted initially. I think I would reduce the plants by at least half, if not more, now and don't prune again until next year, when you should clip it lightly about four times between May and August.
3 Jul, 2009