Ligustrum vulgare
Common privet
- Height × spread
- 6m × 6m
- Position
- Full sun
- Hardiness
- Very cold to -20C (RHS H6)
Availability
Please ask in store about availability
Many plants are seasonal. Call 01234 567890 to check current stock.
About this plant
Often seen growing in hedgerows or in oak woodlands, this plant is a native of the UK, Europe, and indeed Northern Africa and parts of Asia. It has a resilient disposition and is semi-evergreen, much used for hedging. It has green lance-shaped leaves. There are white flowers of cloying sweetness and masses of black berries in autumn. It is often found growing naturally with the native barberry (Berberis vulgaris).
- Flower colour
- White
- Foliage colour
- Green
- Stem colour
- Brown
- Fruit colour
- Black
- Variegated
- No
- Scent
- Yes, sweet-heavy
- Shape
- Oval
- Height
- 6m
- Spread
- 6m
- Height in 10 years
- 5m
- Spread in 10 years
- 5m
- Evergreen
- Evergreen
- Garden style
- Seaside garden, Cottage garden
- Sun or shade
- Likes full sun, tolerates part shade, tolerates light shade
- Soil type
- Chalk, Loam (normal)
- Soil pH
- All types
- Drainage
- Moisture retentive soil, Well drained soil
- Hardiness
- Very cold to -20C (RHS H6)
- Borders & containers
- Borders
- Use for
- Hedge, Structural, Bee attraction, Bird attraction
- Hazards
- Yes, potentially harmful; Humans: Harmful if eaten
Spring
Spring-Autumn · Outdoors
Water to keep the soil moist
For best results, this plant needs soil that is always moist. Water deeply and regularly as soon as soil appears dry. Even for established plants in the ground, a dry week can cause problems with some soils. Check plants in pots more often, especially in hot weather. Or install an automatic irrigation system which will do the hard work for you, even when you are away on holiday.
Without regular watering some plants never fully regain their beauty.
Summer
Summer - early · Outdoors
Feed a general fertiliser
Where plants have moderate needs for nutrients, they can simply be given a general feed, fairly early in the growth season so that the growth has plenty of time to harden off before the cold weather.
Give plants a general boost with the application of a general purpose fertiliser which is spread around the root area of the plant, with amounts as directed on the feed label.
Planting & general
Outdoor planting · Planting
Add root growth stimulant to the planting hole
Mycorrhizal fungi helps roots establish quickly, so they absorb water and nutrients more efficiently. It comes as a powder, granule or gel. Add to the planting hole or container, and to the plant's rootball before planting in the hole. For "bareroot" plants use a gel.
Hedges · Planting
Requires frequent clipping
This benefits from frequent clipping in order to keep it tidy. If it becomes woody, it can be regenerated by pruning hard back, to a height some 15-20cm above ground level.
Hedges · Planting
Hazardous to animals
Don't plant this hedge on a boundary, or any position where it could be eaten by animals grazing in meadows, or otherwise left its vicinity. Some parts of the plant are poisonous.
Found in
More Ligustrum
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Japanese ibota privet