Privets (Ligustrium)

If you want something that grows fast and screens out your neighbors, then these are for you. Deer do not eat them and they grow fast ~I have one that was about a foot and half twig with some leaves 5 years ago, planted in the heat of July (100 degree drought) and it is now over 13' tall and about 5 1/2 ' wide. Some say that privets are invasive but this is only true if you have male and females. What? yes I found several year ago when I started propagating them that some people who had a hedge of them never had babies but on my hedge row there were babies every spring. Females have lots of flowers and then produce the "berries". The males will have a few blossoms if any. So I discovered it you trim the tree before it is done blooming, then you can keep the hedge from reproducing. Privets grow in any soil, need no fertilizing, and are drought tolerant here in the south. They grow in the sun or in light shade. The 2 featured in the picture are a male and female and were a foot tall 5 years ago planted in light shade. They are 8' tall and I do nothing with them but leave them to grow to keep deer out of my yard and block my neighbors.
The Garden Frog with C Renee
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  • Laria Whitlock Laria Whitlock on Sep 18, 2014
    Can you transplant them from a cutting? I have a bunch at the house I'm selling and want to transplant them to my new home.
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    • Laria Whitlock Laria Whitlock on Sep 21, 2014
      @Douglas Hunt - Good point! =)
  • 360 Sod (Donna Dixson) 360 Sod (Donna Dixson) on Sep 24, 2014
    Chinese privet and European privet are both on the Noxious weeds list for Georgia.
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