I just have gotten enthusiastic about bonsai and don't want to wait till spring. It has been mild here so far, no hard frost, can I propagate from a privet hedge? thanks

americamba wrote: I just have gotten enthusiastic about bonsai and don't want to wait till spring. It has been mild here so far, no hard frost, can I propagate from a privet hedge? thanks

Lesson 1: Learn to be patient.

There's no rush. Now is not the right time.

Depending on what country you are in and if you have a heated propagator yes you could take some cuttings but you would do better to go to a nursery and buy a plant that you can do something with.

If its a hedge just take a few cuttings and try but probably they wont take....
I agree with geoff to buy some cheap plants and have fun with them !
In the meanwhile take some time to read as much about all the different techniques there are that are aplied to bonsai read some about all the different soil there is that can be used watch some youtube video's and prepare for spring 2018
Check if there are any clubs in your area