Privet is actually not evergreen, which means it naturally loses its leaves during the fall and winter months. However, if your hedge starts dropping leaves at the wrong time, it could be a sign of disease or a slip-up in your care routine. Here’s everything you need to know to keep your privet happy.
Privet isn’t truly evergreen
Despite what many people think, privet isn’t a true evergreen. While the leaves are a beautiful, vibrant green when the plant is healthy, it doesn’t keep that leafy coat all year long. In the winter, it typically sheds its foliage completely. If you notice a massive leaf drop, you first need to look at the timing:
- Is it happening in the fall or winter?
- Or is it happening in the middle of summer?
Natural leaf drop in fall and winter
It is perfectly normal for your privet to lose all its leaves once the weather turns cold. Since these plants are deciduous (or “semi-evergreen” depending on your zone), they let go of their foliage to prep for winter. This usually happens gradually over a few days, but sometimes it can seem like the leaves all fall off at once.
If your hedge goes bare in late autumn or winter, don’t panic! It’s just nature doing its thing. Come springtime, your privet will bounce back with fresh new shoots and lush green leaves.
Massive leaf loss in the summer
On the other hand, if your privet starts thinning out in the summer, that’s a red flag. This usually points to a mistake in maintenance, a pest problem, or a disease. If your hedge is looking sparse during the warm months, you’ll want to do a little detective work to find the culprit.
Common causes for summer leaf drop
If you’re dealing with a leaf drop in the summer, it’s usually down to one of these factors:
- The soil is either bone-dry or waterlogged.
- The plant got too much or too little fertilizer.
- You’ve got a pest infestation.
- The plant is struggling with a fungal infection.
Most of these issues stem from basic care mistakes or picking the wrong spot to plant it. The good news? These problems are usually easy to spot and fix. Once you get things back on track, your privet should leaf out beautifully by next spring and stay green all summer long.
