Privet Problems (Amur)

[marlinnhag]

In the spring I planted about 25 privet shrubs. they have been coming along great until this recent cold weather front. I live in Petaluma, (zone 8 I believe) My soil is a THICK adobe clay. Over the last couple weeks we have had mornings that are in the 20s and days in the 40s.

Now about 7 of my privets have started to develop these purple leaves.

(Images apparently to large to embed see links)



and

One Privet is dropping green leaves. Any ideas of what is going on and is it anything I should worry about?



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[img]https://www.fotophan.com/Privet/I-qHQw3Vd/0/XL/privetpurple-XL.jpg[/img]

[rainbowgardener]

Lots of "evergreen" plants turn kind of purple in the cold. I wouldn't worry about that. But it should NOT be dropping leaves; that I would worry about.

I think a lot of hedge problems are caused by poor pruning. Hedges should always be trimmed to a kind of rounded pyramid shape, wider at the bottom. If you don't do that, sunlight can't get to the bottom leaves very well and they will fall, leaving it bare at the bottom. It also needs to be opened up a bit, cutting out any dead wood and twiggy branches, so that sun and air can get to the interior. The ground should be kept clear around it.

Established privet is very hardy and can be cut back nearly to the ground. This is a good thing to do every few years or if it is getting leggy, bare, etc.

[marlinnhag]

Hmmmm... Ok. I wont worry much about the purple leaves....

As for the leaves dropping I was told not to trim back the hedge until the spring. I only planted these in April. So they aren't very thick. They were basically twigs when planted.

I'm totally a newb when it goes to gardening (these are the first things I have ever planted. )

The other ones that are even thicker don't seem to be having any problems just this one. Any other ideas of what may be causing the sudden leaf drop and ways to remedy it?

Thank You!!!

[rainbowgardener]

I hadn't actually seen your pix until they were fixed. The dropped leaf one is looking very bad. I really don't know what its problem is, but privet is subject to fungal diseases and mites. It's possible something like that got it. Perhaps someone will come along who knows more about privet.

[purpleinopp]

Are these stinky plants not an invasive nuisance where you are?

Are you in the part of CA that's having a drought? If so, have you watered these lately?

[jclevesq]

Hello
I am a canadian from the Ottawa aria. We go to -40 degrees cel. every winter or so. My 8 year old privet hedge is just fine.
As long as you have some protection (snow) on the ground, privet will shed all it's leaves and rebud the next spring.
Privet is a hardy plant. Mine is a Zone 4 which means about -10 C without any protection. Last winter we had a very cold spell. (-20 without snow) I thought I had lost my hedge. In spring, there seamed to be no life activity. Being a privet, I decided to cut the hole hedge at 10 inches from the ground with a sawsall. I crosed my fingers and today, september 19 of the same year, my privet has grown to 5 feet and I have trimed it twice for thickness effect.

So, privet is quite hardy. Don't worry!