Privet hawkmoth caterpillars chew the leaves, the adults will take nectar from any suitable source in the same way as butterflies. Clipped tight privet gives protection for small birds. Privet flowers pong like cat pee. We had a privet hawkmoth in the moth trap earlier in the year, the size of my hand, Britains biggest moth. It was quite amazing.
I don't think the privet hawk moth is common up here, but I might be wrong. I've certainly never seen one. Fantastic creatures though. I can never smell privet flowers either. I can smell hawthorn, but not privet.
Hopefully @darren.m.willis0MO9c7oA will see the suggestions many have given though, and can make a decision based on those.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I keep my privet clipped and sparrows are always darting in and out of it. In summer I leave areas on my side of the hedge to flower to help the bees, then clip back again after flowering.
Privet is excellent for wildlife, the flowers are very good for pollinators and the leaves support privet hawkmoth. I think you are probably best maintaining it as a hedge, but clip after flowering. The less you clip, the more open and less dense it will get. You could alternate between clipping one half of the hedge and the other or something like that.
If someone had asked me a couple of years ago what moths we had, I would have said plum moth and codling moth. The trailcam (we bought because a neighbour claimed to have seen a deer) looked like the beginning of Dr Who, we were picking up so many. The moth trapping has certainly opened my eyes up to what we have in the garden.
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I ♥ my garden.
I can never smell privet flowers either. I can smell hawthorn, but not privet.
Hopefully @darren.m.willis0MO9c7oA will see the suggestions many have given though, and can make a decision based on those.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I ♥ my garden.
I ♥ my garden.