- Care of privet in winter
- Protect young plants from winter sun
- Privet loses its leaves in winter
- create a mulch layer
Privet is a very robust shrub that is native to our latitudes. It is absolutely hardy and needs little care in winter. This is how you get the privet well over the cold season.
The privet is very hardy and does not need protection
Care of privet in winter
Except for a few non-native varieties, privet is completely hardy. It can easily cope with temperatures down to minus ten degrees and more - even without winter protection.
The only danger is that the soil will dry out too much during very dry winters. You should therefore water a privet hedge once on frost-free days.
- Privet is hardy
- water in dry winters
- create a mulch layer
- protect younger privets from too much sun
Protect young plants from winter sun
Young privet plants suffer from too much sunlight in winter. If the sun shines down on the leaves left on the bush for too long, the tender shoots will burn. This is not dangerous for the shrub, but it does not look so nice in spring.
After planting in autumn, you should therefore ensure that the young plants are slightly shaded or plant them in the semi-shade of taller trees. Simply cut off burnt shoots in spring.
Privet loses its leaves in winter
Even if privet is described as evergreen or even sold, that is not correct. The shrub sheds its leaves throughout the fall and winter. This is a natural process and nothing to worry about.
The privet owes its reputation as an evergreen plant to the fact that some varieties, such as Atrovirens, keep their foliage for a very long time. But these species also lose their leaves by spring.
create a mulch layer
It has proven useful to spread a layer of mulch under privet hedges or privet bushes. Especially in winter, it ensures that the earth does not freeze too much. It also keeps moisture in the soil so you don't have to water as much.
The mulch material decomposes over the course of the year, releasing nutrients. This even saves you from fertilizing.
The mulch layer is renewed every spring.
tips
Experienced gardeners recommend not pruning the privet in the fall. In cold temperatures in winter, the fresh shoots freeze because they have not yet been able to harden sufficiently.