In May I planted about 120 privet hedges on the perimeter my back yard. I bought them from my local nursery, and they came as little sticks in a bag. I'm pretty sure they are a northern amur privet...just your basic privet hedge, pretty common around here (near Albany, NY). I know privet hedges are not everyone's favorite, but I needed a screen, I wanted to keep the budget reasonable, and I don't mind clipping them whenever necessary.

I lost about 10, but after I started using a soaker hose periodically, the rest are doing well. Some are growing tall with little width, and some are growing wider with less height. My question is how should I prune them? When should I prune them? A neighbor told me if I cut them shorter, they will grow thicker and wider...seems consistent with the growth I've seen so far. That would be ideal...thicker, consistent growth so they merge together...I can wait on the height, although I want that too.

Thanks for any help.