Privet is a very robust shrub. Most species tolerate frost without any problems and need little or no additional winter protection in winter. However, if the privet hedge is still very young, you should protect it from too much cold but especially from the sun in winter.
How to care for privet in winter?
Privet in winter requires little care and can tolerate frost down to minus ten degrees. Young plants should be watered regularly and protected from strong midday sun. Winter protection is only necessary when there is direct sunlight, e.g. with fir branches or special mats.
Properly care for privet in winter
Privet needs little care in winter. It can easily withstand sub-zero temperatures of ten degrees or lower. You can even cut it on frost-free days.
- Winter protection only for young plants
- water in dry winters
- protect from strong midday sun
You should water young privet bushes regularly, even in winter. They have not yet formed a sufficient root system with which they can feed themselves from deeper layers of the earth. For older plants, additional watering is only necessary if it has been very dry for a long time in winter.
Winter protection can be useful if the hedge is directly in the blazing winter sun. In this case, you should provide light shading. Special mats (€34.00 on Amazon) from the garden supply store or fir branches that you stick in the ground next to the bushes are suitable.
Protect soil from drying out in winter
If privet does not survive the winter, it is not frozen, but dried up. It evaporates water through the leaves, but cannot replace the moisture in frozen ground.
That's why you should water young privet hedges in winter on frost-free days.
A layer of mulch under the bushes prevents soil moisture from evaporating.
Privet is not evergreen
Even if it is said again and again: Privet is not evergreen. It sheds its leaves over the winter. Depending on the temperatures and the incidence of light, they can even stay on the bush until new growth occurs.
If the privet loses its leaves in winter, this is a completely normal process.
The leaves change color when it is very cold. This is also no cause for concern. Many gardeners plant privet precisely because of this seasonal leaf discoloration.
Tip
If you care for privet in a pot, make sure that the pot is big enough. Do not expose it to direct midday sun in winter. The leaves then evaporate too much water and there is a risk that the privet will dry out.