Privets chopped down - help!

12 years ago

I need advice about my privet bushes. They were about 10 years old, 12-15 feet high or so. My husband was supposed to trim them and, to my utter dismay, he chopped them down to stumps. I am devastated. My backyard is ruined.

In between sobbing, I have to try to figure out what to do next. Will they grow back? How can they grow back into a decent shape when their central structure is now just a bunch of stumps? If they won't grow back, then I guess I will have to hire a stump removal service to get the stumps out so I can plant new ones.

Finally, does anyone know a good divorce lawyer? Kidding... sort of.

Thank you so much for any help.

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Comments (9)

flora_uk
12 years ago
They will probably do very well from being cut right down. They're hard to kill and I am quite sure you will find they bounce back healthier than ever.
mrgpag SW OH Z5/6
12 years ago
I'd have him go back out with a saw and cut the stubs all the way down to ground level. We do this to several privet hedges in our arboretum to rejuvenate the plants. You'll get good growth the first year and the second year you will be getting back some of the height you've lost.
Marshall
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Why can't they understand? I feel your frustration. My dad made a mess of the garden too when I was just starting out. After a while he stopped. I have had plumbing crews and other service people smash down plants far outside of the work area, even those roped off. I can never understand it. Sometimes its like you have to stand right there watching and waiting to be ready to make a rescue. I do whatever I can myself and try to hire people that will listen if I can't do it myself. It's that " they're only plants " way of thinking and it drives me crazy. Keep them watered and clean up any raggedy cuts. I would probably go in and cut out any dead growth and clean up/ shape the plants as long as they are getting a trim now. go together to buy some mulch to help them along since they don't have the leaves shading the roots now and the heat will come on. That makes a big difference in helping them bounce back. As soon as the heat passes, you can feed and I bet you'll have some great roses around Thanksgiving. Let us know how it goes.
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I am in my 40's and have done some stupid thing in my younger years, I can almost guess we all have and we will continue to make bad choices. its human nature. We will all make mistakes and we will all make bad decisions from time to time. Once again it human nature. the difference is some of us learn from them and some don't or don't care. the prisons system if filled and will continue to fill with those who willingly make bad choices. I have had people ridicule me for the way I do things but in the end most see its out of respect if they ask why I do things this way I just tell them if I were in there place its how I would want to be treated. I don't expect to be given respect from anyone I want to earn it. I see people from every walk of life in my line of work and they all get my respect and I treat them the way I would want to be treated. Other people I know don't understand why I do this. They ask me sometimes why I am this way and all I can say is that its the I would want to be treated. One thing I don't under stand is why they call it "common sense" when in a lot of cases it seems to be so "rare"??
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First of all, don't worry about the little "hedge balls" (wry grins). People have to work very consistently to make those strange things happen. I've never figured out why they would want to.... One question that matters: Are these hedges in a lot more shade than when they were first planted? Are there large trees casting heavy shade? If not, then the hedges can be recouped. If so, let me know. (Wish I could stand there and take a look at the different hedges.... Here's the best I can do to explain the dynamics.) When you cut the aboveground parts back, the roots put out new aboveground shoots, as many as they can manage. Each shoot will try to grow "straight up" as fast as possible. When the shoots get to be about half the height you want the hedge to be, cut off the growing end, above a set of leaves. This will get that shoot to put out branches all along the stem. It will bush out, and continue to add more height as well. When it comes to the old woody parts of the hedge, it can be a balancing act. You need to leave *some* aboveground parts to feed the roots, so they can put out the new productive shoots. But you need to get the non-productive stuff out. If the old woody thick stems have younger sprouts coming up from the ground around them, then take a deep breath, and cut the old-thicks to the ground. If that part of the hedge is mostly old-woody, without much in the way of other younger shoots.... Gets trickier. If that's the situation, let me know. "Starting over" is not a crazy thing, but it probably would take at least as long to get something like decent hedges back. And they would not be your dad's hedges...
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Distilled, it means the 20-20-20 is better than nothing, and much better than any fertilizer with a high middle number (like the common 5-15-5); but as an overall choice Foliage-Pro 9-3-6 has a number of significant advantages. How much fertilizer you should use depends on what you're using (for fertilizer) your watering habits, how often you fertilize, temperatures, ....... I do flush the soil each time I water and I use 1/4 tsp of 9-3-6/gallon of water every time I water in winter. In summer, I use 2 tsp 9-3-6/gallon of water and apply weekly when it's not too hot. If you decide to use the 20-20-20, start with 2 tsp/gallon. Beyond that, unless we know something about your soil and watering habits, any advice given wouldn't mean much unless the person advising you were to use different scenarios as examples ....... and that's a lot of effort. Al
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rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
12 years ago
Yes, the proper procedure at this point is to cut them ALL the way to the ground....no more than 6 inch stubs. You'll be shocked and amazed at how quickly they will rejuvenate.

Do not fertilize these shrubs for at least a year. They may need some watering in times of drought like weather to support all of the new growth that is going to erupt in the not-too-distant future.

Frankly, your husband did the right thing at the right time of year. Just make sure that he cuts them all the way down SOON. He must not leave three or four foot stumps.
jmarzihu
Original Author
12 years ago
Thanks for the advice, everyone... I feel better. I will miss my privacy this year, and maybe for a few more, but at least I can be hopeful that they'll come back.

I guess maybe I'll apologize to the hubby, too.
jmarzihu
Original Author
12 years ago
P.S. What will happen if it's left at 3-4 foot stumps? I am just curious. Thanks.
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
12 years ago
at height.. 3 feet.. the plants will explode with growth.. and in a few years.. have so much weight.. that the 3 foot trunk.. will not be able to support it all.. and it will fall down ....

what you can do though.. is remove half of them to 3 inches or so.. and let those regenerate from below.. while the tall ones add some privacy ...

and then in fall or next spring.. cut the other ones down ... thereby giving some TEMPORARY HEIGHT.. but it will be harder to surgically remove them w/o hurting the new growth at the bottom.. but it can be done .... but maybe not by hubby ... lol

it should be quite a show.. to watch how they regrow .. try to enjoy it .... i suspect you will be surprised how fast they return.. with no insult to the roots ... and no.. they wont need to be fed.. to perform ...

ken
jmarzihu
Original Author
12 years ago
Thank you so much!!
rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
12 years ago
If cut back to three foot stumps, it will explode in all of that new growth....beginning at three feet. The shrubs will look like H-E-doubletoothpicks. When cut back to near ground level, the new growth will come up from the bottom, creating a full, shrubby appearance.
fmart322
12 years ago
Sounds to me that hubby deserves a steak dinner.....and then some.

Privets chopped down - help!

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flora_uk

mrgpag SW OH Z5/6

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Privets chopped down - help!

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flora_uk

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