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Whatever happened to privet hedges ?
Posted: Mon May 05, 2008 8:35 pm
by Primrose
I'm trying to remember when I last saw a garden sporting a privet hedge. I haven't seen one for years and wonder what caused them to go out of fashion? I remember as a kid how regularly I plundered next door's privet hedge for food to feed my army of stick insects. Perhaps it was the arrival of open plan front gardens.
Posted: Mon May 05, 2008 8:45 pm
by oldherbaceous
Dear Primrose, my Privet hedge succumbed to honey fungus, so has now been replaced with Yew.
Posted: Mon May 05, 2008 8:47 pm
by Sarah
We've stil got one. It's a nightmare to cut! Feel free to bring your stick insects!
Posted: Tue May 06, 2008 8:40 am
by Primrose
Maybe it was the stinking smell of the white flowers when they came into bloom which put people off. Not exactly fragrant, are they?
Posted: Tue May 06, 2008 1:46 pm
by Chantal
They must be out there somewhere. Every time I sneeze (when I don't have a cold) I can quite clearly smell privet hedges straight afterwards.
Posted: Tue May 06, 2008 2:02 pm
by oldherbaceous
Dear Chantal, just out of curiosity, you didn't use to put things up your nose when you were a younster did you.
Maybe thats where all the Privets have gone.
Posted: Tue May 06, 2008 3:15 pm
by Chantal
No OH, I have NEVER had the urge to put things up my nose, up to and including privet hedges.
I don't know why I can smell it when I sneeze, but it's been happening for some years now.
Posted: Wed May 07, 2008 7:36 pm
by mandylew
we had stick insects a while ago and i searched the neigbourhood for privet hedges in places i could discreetly pick from, the graveyard had the best. Eventually i took all the stick insects down there and let them loose, I've never ventured back to see if there is a thriving colony or not now, but they are rather prolific breeders!
mandy