Fast - growing and evergreen privet was introduce to North America from Asia in the mid-1800s with the theme that it could be a great hedge flora for a privacy screen , and it certainly is . However , the common privet mixed bag are highly invasive , so if you are considering planting a privet hedge , recall again .
Warning
Most areas in the U.S. discourage or prohibit planting privet . It is among the most aggressive incursive plant in the country .
Fortunately , some varieties have been breed to have a more polite produce habit , so if you do n’t already have a privet ( Ligustrumspp . ) , be sure to select some of these Modern varieties . If you have privet plants already , the good thing to do is picture out how to get disembarrass of them .
Common Privet Varieties
Four primaryspecies of privetgrow in the U.S. , although it ’s tough to distinguish between them . It ’s not really authoritative to acknowledge which one you have because they are all encroaching . They are :
What Makes Privet Invasive?
Birds make love the privet shrub ’s masses of fruit and broadcast its seminal fluid far and wide . However , the industrial plant also farm young shoot from a stump after it is cut down and from any parts of its beginning that were left behind .
Privet easily takes over aboriginal flora and can boom in partial shadowiness . It can grow in most dirt eccentric but tend to attempt out areas with robust land , robbing nutrient from nearby plants .
Tips for Controlling Privet
If you already have privet growing in your home garden , your challenge is to hold in its growth . Here are some tips :
enceinte stands of seedlings , such as those in field or across entire farms , require a ordered approach that times regular weed killer applications with specific foliar leaf out and drop time . This is improbable to be the situation for an average gardener , however .
Removing a Privet Hedge
You may want to think move out your privet hedge and replacing it with something well-off to observe . Even if you comprehend up the privet hedge and diligently get as much of the root system as you could , it is still potential to resprout from multiple , small root remaining in the soil .
Pull the seedlings as shortly as you see them or — if you are okay with using an herbicide — spot control them with a foliar glyphosate ( Roundup ) intervention . regard laying down black credit card or another type of barrier to asphyxiate these seedling before they can take handle .
Well-Behaved Privet Plants
For homeowners who really desire a privet or a seclusion hedge , some privet species have been rise to be non - invasive and wanton to control .
Sunshine Ligustrum(Ligustrum sinense’Sunshine ' , zone 6 to 10 ) is an evergreen bush that has , as its name suggest , bright yellow foliage rather than the traditional green leaves . This is a unimaginative cultivar with no flush at all . It enjoys full sun and get to a height of 3 to 6 feet . Its parting are fine enough that it lends itself to being prune as a topiary .
Another attractive cultivar isgolden privet(Ligustrumxvicaryi , zones 5 to 8) . This is also a aseptic cross , but it ’s deciduous . exchangeable to Sunshine , golden privet ’s leaves are a yellow - gold , but it is a much bigger bush ; it develop 12 feet eminent and 10 foundation wide . In the crepuscle , the leaves turn from sensationalistic to chartreuse to red ink .
