Privet hedge revival & maintenance

1968mark

Hello, First post on this side.

I moved in to a property a few years back and the privet hedges were overgrown. The first year I chopped them back to about head height and have kept them trimmed twice a year.
Generally they are looking okay however. I am finding quite well established Holly & now a Sycamore sapling. I've tried chopping & drilling some out, so now have some unsightly gaps where the Holly were.


So how do I plug the gaps to get the privet looking good.


Best way of getting the saplings out/or a maintenance program.

Fairygirl

I think you just have to keep chopping out the invaders as soon as you see them to 'starve' them, but it can be tricky if they're well established. You may need to use a brushwood killer, rather than a standard weedkiller, which is used for tree stumps etc. It really depends how much of a hold they have.

How big are the gaps? You can always buy a few privets to plant in them, but if they're small gaps, you can sometimes tie long pieces in horizontally. They should  grow quite quickly over summer to cover, and would be quite dense by next year.
Have you got a photo? That would help with advice too 

JennyJ

I would go for letting some pieces grow long and tying them in across the gaps.  It's pretty hard to get new plants established within an existing hedge (the ground will be full of roots already).