Question
Hi.Can you tell me when and how to take privet cuttings in the UK?

Answer
Hello Gary

August is the best time to take cuttings.

You will need - cuttings; 4 inch plant pots; compost; plastic bags (I find freezer bags do the trick).  

Look for 'semi-ripe' shoots from this year's growth - they should bend with just a little resistance.  If they bend too easily, they are not ripe enough.  If it takes quite a lot of pressure and/or the shoots feel 'woody', they are overripe.

Take cuttings about 3 inches long; remove all the leaves except the upper 2/3; cut cleanly across the shoot just below where a lower leaf joined the stem.  

Fill the pots with compost and push 5 or 6 cuttings well into the compost around the edges of the pots.  Water the pots and place each one into a plastic bag  and close it with a tie at the top.

Put the pots into a cold frame or somewhere light, but not in bright sunlight.  In winter move the cuttings to a frost-free place. They should not need to be watered again until you pot on the cutting when they have developed roots.  Signs of new buds forming next spring will alert you to the development of roots.  

Next March/April will be the time to plant each cutting into an individual pot.  Let the cuttings grow to about 12-18 inches before planting them outside into their permanent positions.