How to Grow and Care for Privet

Privet plants (Ligustrum spp.) are flowering semi-evergreen shrubs commonly grown as hedges, which can also be grown as small, bushy trees depending on the specific variety. It handles most soils and various temperatures, from freezing winters to hot summers. Of the 50 species of privet, some are invasive in the U.S. Privet grows best in woodland and forest areas and prefers at least six hours of full sun, but it can also grow well in partial sun.

How to Identify Privet

Privet shrubs have dense, oval, or lance-shaped, glossy green leaves. Some keep their leaves as evergreens, while others are deciduous and drop them in winter. It produces small, white tubular flowers with a strong fragrance in early summer, followed by small, black, round berries in late summer. The fruits and leaves of privet are toxic to humans and pets.

Privet Care

Privets have a quick growth rate and can be planted in the spring or fall. Here are the main care requirements for growing a privet:

• Provide well-draining soil; cannot tolerate soggy soil very well.
• Plant 1 to 2 feet apart into a trench 2 feet wide by 2 feet deep; mound the soil around the main branching stem.
• Tolerates full or partial sun.
• Give extra water to new and established plants during dry spells.
• Feed with fertilizer regularly throughout the season from spring through fall.
• Refrain from planting in containers; these plants need plenty of room to grow.

Warning

Privet is a non-native species in the US. It is listed as invasive in California, Oregon, Michigan, Indiana, Kentucky, West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, and Florida.

Light

Privets typically grow well in full sun, meaning at least six hours of direct sunlight on most days. Sun will bring out the best color in the foliage. However, they can tolerate partial shade conditions as well.

Soil

These shrubs tolerate various soil types if the soil has sharp drainage. They can handle a soil pH ranging from slightly acidic to slightly alkaline, though they prefer a roughly neutral pH. These plants are also tolerant to some salt in the soil, making them an option for planting sites near roadways that get salted in winter or near ocean spray.

Water

Young privet shrubs do well with a deep weekly watering if they haven’t received any rainfall. Mature shrubs have good drought tolerance but should be watered during an extended dry spell or hot weather to prevent the soil from completely drying out.

Temperature and Humidity

In cooler climates, privet shrubs typically drop their leaves in the fall. Thus, they can’t provide year-round privacy as a hedge. The different species have various temperature requirements. But in general, they can survive temperatures well below freezing and heat in summer if they get sufficient watering.

Humidity typically isn’t an issue, though fungal diseases can grow on foliage that remains wet for too long and doesn’t have good air circulation.

Fertilizer

Use a 15-5-10 fertilizer (or a fertilizer specifically for broadleaf shrubs) in the early spring. Then, following the label instructions, apply another round of fertilizer in the fall.

Types of Privet

Privet plants in the Ligustrum genus have a classic look when running along a property border. The plant's common name even sounds like "privacy," with bushes forming a natural privacy fence for those seeking a secluded setting in their yard.

It grows in the U.S. as far south as Florida and Texas, along the East Coast, up to the northern border of the U.S. to North Dakota, Montana, and Wyoming, and west to Oregon and California.Here are some of the most common varieties of privet:

• Korean privet/California privet(Ligustrum ovalifolium): This shrub is hardy in zones 5 to 8 and grows around 10 to 15 feet tall.
• Golden privet (Ligustrum ovalifolium 'Aureum'): This variety grows roughly 8 to 10 feet tall and features golden leaf margins.
• Common privet (Ligustrum vulgare): This species tolerates cold and can form a fast-growing, dense hedge.
• Border privet(Ligustrum obtusifolium): This species has excellent cold tolerance and can sometimes survive in USDA zone 3.
• Amur privet (Ligustrum amurense): This species can also survive in USDA zone 3 and grows to around 12 to 15 feet tall.

Pruning

Privet shrubs can tolerate being shaped to your liking and quickly bounce back from heavy pruning. Lightly pruning a few times throughout the summer will encourage denser, bushier growth with more branching.

After a shrub finishes flowering for the season, it will soon start to form new buds for next year’s flowers. If you want your privet hedge to bloom the following year, prune it for shape and size immediately after flowering. If you wait too long, you might remove new buds by mistake.

How to Eliminate Privet

Privet can be effectively controlled by hand pulling (seedlings), weed wrenching (saplings), and hand cutting, along with supplemental herbicide treatments. Hand-cutting by itself is not effective enough because sprouts will emerge from the stump.

Propagating Privet

Gardeners usually try to get rid of privet because it spreads aggressively and uncontrollably. Still, if you are looking for an economical way to fill gaps in an existing privet hedge, you can propagate it from cuttings as follows:

1. Take slim, pencil-thick cuttings about 6 inches in the early spring. Remove all the leaves from the first 2 inches of the bottom half of the cuttings so the nodes are exposed.
2. Dip the ends of the cuttings in the rooting hormone. Fill 4-inch plastic pots with potting mix. Using a pencil or a stick, poke a hole in the soil deep enough to fit the leafless portion of the cutting. Gently press the cutting into the soil and press it down. Water it well until the soil is evenly moist.
3. Place the pot in a bright outdoor location with indirect light, away from the direct hot sun. Keep the cuttings moist at all times. New roots will develop in a month or two, and you should see new leaf growth.
4. Transplant to the landscape and keep well-watered for at least another month, longer in dry weather, until the young plants are established.

How to Grow Privet from Seed

In nature, privet propagates easily from seeds dispersed by wind and wildlife, which adds to its invasive nature. However, starting privet from seed is more involved; the seeds need cold stratification in a refrigerator for 30 to 60 days.

1. Turn the well-draining soil where you intend to plant the seeds and enrich it with compost. Moisten the soil.
2. Press each seed at least one inch deep. Tamp down the soil. Plant two seeds in each spot (to ensure germination success in that location. Germination can take up to two months.
3. If several seedlings emerge in the same spot, remove the less vigorous of the two.
   

Overwintering

Privet is hardy to USDA zone 3, which means it can withstand outdoor temperatures year-round without winter protection.

Common Pests & Plant Diseases

Privet is prone to fungal disease, such as leaf spots and powdery mildew, which it can bounce back from. Fungal root rot, most often caused by soggy soil conditions, can be prevented if the soil remains well-draining.

More serious fungal diseases that will kill privet include anthracnose and twig blight. Stem galls or cankers can grow on the trunk and girdle the plant, turning the bark brown, with greyish-black wood underneath the bark.

Pests that often visit privet include aphids, leaf miners, scale, mealybugs, and mites. They don't usually affect the overall plant health.

Common Problems with Privet

Privet is easy to grow but tends to overgrow a favorable spot. Keep a privet hedge manageable with frequent pruning, at least two to four times per growing season. The growth rate of privets can vary, so pick a variety that won’t overwhelm your yard.

Pruning Problems

A privet hedge can develop bare spots if it is not properly pruned. Shearing the tops encourages the side shoots to grow.

Leaves Turn Brown or Fall Off

Privet needs regular watering to remain healthy. High heat and drought will cause leaf browning and leaf loss. Keep the plant well watered; however, do not overwater. Soggy soil will cause root rot and could cause leaf loss, too.

From: thespruce