Is my privet hedge dead?

[jocart]

I was wondering if anyone can give me some advice. So far everything I have read about privet says how easy it is to grow and how quickly, but I planted mine at the end of March and from 70 plants I only have 2 with leaves on. I opted for bare root as they are cheaper, but went for the best quality I could afford. They looked healthy enough, but with no life I'm concerned that they are all dead. Can anyone please advise? Thanks.

 

[merlin50]

did you plant them the right way up

 

[HERTS P&D]

A picture might help.

Andy

 

[jocart]

Very funny Merlin, but yes, the roots went in the ground and the twiggy bits on top.

Sorry Andy, I don't have a photo to post, but they just look like a lot of bare twigs with only one having some leaves on top and 2 more with new shoots at the bottom.

Wondered if pruning them down might help the new growth!

 

[joe-90]

If you break a twig and it snaps rather than bends then the likelihood is that they are dead.

 

[jocart]

Thanks Joe-90 done the twig test and some are dead but some are very bendy. Still no leaves though.

Just spoken to a neighbour who had the same problem but the following spring it all came back to life, so I might leave it and hope for the best!

Does anyone know how quickly it should leaf if dormant plants are planted in March?

 

[merlin50]

have you been giving them lots of water, its also down to the weather

 

[jocart]

I have Merlin, though not sure if they got quite enough in the first few weeks. We had 30 degrees at the end of April, so although I watered often, they might have needed more, which I couldn't do because of work hours Also Our garden is prone to weeds, so staying on top of the weed infestation has been a nightmare!

 

[themiddleagedun]

Scratch a small piece of bark off with your fingernail. If the wood underneath is green its alive. While a dry-looking brown colour indicates a dead plant.

 

[jocart]

Thanks, tried that too and got mixed results. Smaller shoots still seem to be alive and bigger shoots are mostly dead. Hopefully I will get some growth back next year!