Small shiny leaves that hang on well into winter, and a modest flowering in late spring and early summer: wild privet (Ligustrum) is the shrub behind countless garden hedges and windbreaks. Give it ordinary well-drained soil in sun or part shade and it will reach 3 to 10 feet, staying opaque and easy to shape.
| Name | Ligustrum |
|---|---|
| Family | Oleaceae |
| Type | shrub |
| Height | 3 to 10 feet (1 to 3 m) |
| Exposure | full sun, part sun |
| Soil | ordinary |
| Foliage | semi-evergreen |
| Flowering | late spring to early summer |
Planting, pruning and care are all good practices that will support their proper growth.
It is a good idea to plant wild privet in fall, it is the best planting season for it.
But still, you can also plant in spring those specimens that have been purchased in containers without any problems. You must then remember to water regularly during the 1st summer.
Wild privet is a shrub that is quite easily multiplied by preparing cuttings from its sprigs.
Prepare wild privet cuttings at the end of summer, on soft-wood growth, that is, wood that is not hard yet, nor has grown brown bark, but is in the process of hardening.
Before winter and the first frost spells
In spring
Very often used to set up hedges, wild privet is a shrub that is easy to care for.
Wild privet can bear pruning well, in spring and in fall, do with it as you wish especially if it is a hedge.
Planting, taking cuttings and pruning wild privet each have their own moment in the year, and the season chosen changes the result. Here is the calendar the article describes, task by task.
| Task | When | Why, or what to do then |
|---|---|---|
| Planting (bare ground) | Fall | The best planting season for wild privet |
| Planting container-grown plants | Spring | Possible without problems, but water regularly through the first summer |
| Taking cuttings | End of summer | Use soft-wood growth, stems 6 inches (15 cm) long |
| Potting on cuttings | Towards late spring, after the last frosts | Transplant into nursery pots one size larger; ground planting waits until fall |
| Pruning for vigour | Spring, as the sap rises | Spurs growth and gives more vigorous plants |
| Pruning for shape | Fall, as the sap falls | Slows growth and keeps a neat regular outline all winter |
Whichever season you choose, frequent pruning also pays off in foliage: the more the shrub is cut, the longer its leaves hang on through winter.
Even though wild privet is resilient and only requires little water, you still need to watch out for high temperatures and summer dry spells.
Watering may be required in case of heat waves. Try to reduce water wastage for the plant, don’t overwater, and water preferably in the evening to reduce evaporation.
Privets differ mainly in leaf colour, final size and how well they hold their foliage through winter. The table below gathers the kinds most often offered in garden centres, to help you match a plant to the hedge, screen or specimen you have in mind.
| Variety | Foliage colour | Leaf retention | Best use |
|---|---|---|---|
| ‘Aureum’ (golden privet) | Bright gold leaf margins | Semi-evergreen | Coloured hedge, bright specimen |
| ‘Sunshine’ | Solid golden yellow | Evergreen | Clipped low hedge, full sun, no flowers |
| ‘Argenteum’ | Green with cream edges | Semi-evergreen | Variegated hedge, light screen |
| ‘Lodense’ | Plain mid-green | Semi-evergreen | Low clipped hedge, edging |
| ‘Rotundifolium’ | Thick rounded dark green | Evergreen | Slow low hedge, large pots |
| ‘Excelsum Superbum’ | Green, yellow-cream margins | Evergreen | Standalone small tree, tall screen |
Learn more about wild privet
Unavoidable in most parks and gardens, wild privet it most often used to create hedges or windbreakers.
Evergreen varieties are better suited to these purposes since they stay opaque all year long.
As a standalone, you’ll also find its blooming appealing, together with the beauty of its shiny small leaves.
Read also on shrubs:
Careful not to eat the berries it produces because they are poisonous for us (but not for garden birds).
