Ligustrum obtusifolium Seeds | Border Privet
LATIN NAME: Ligustrum obtusifolium
COMMON NAME: Border Privet
Plant Profile
Ligustrum obtusifolium, commonly known as Border Privet, is a generous, easy shrub. Border privet is tough, easy, small-leaved shrub of old gardens, and it has been a familiar of hedges and foundation plantings for a very long time. It stands up well to clipping and hard conditions, which is why it has been a favourite of hedging for so long. It is a generous, easy shrub for sunny or partly shaded garden. Add these qualities together and you have a species well worth a place in the garden.
Science & Biotechnology
Seed science, comparative botany and horticultural selection all touch on Ligustrum obtusifolium, a representative of the Ligustrum group with clear practical value. Border privet has a steady place in plant science, and privets as a group have been studied for their tough, adaptable ways and their long history in the hedging. Species like this one find a second career as research material, especially in propagation and breeding work.
Uses & Benefits
Border Privet brings genuine presence to the garden and earns its keep across the growing season. Border privet is grown for hedge and the screen. Dense, small-leaved growth makes a fine, neat hedge that stands up well to clipping, and shrub is a dependable, easy plant for boundary, screen and foundation planting. Small, white, fragrant flowers pull in bees, and clusters of black berries are a fine food for birds of the season. It takes hold quickly and asks for no special treatment from then on.
Privet fruit, Nu Zhen Zi, is a classical Chinese yin tonic for liver, eyes and hair, often paired with eclipta in the famous Er Zhi Wan formula; the shrubs are fine hedges, though their berries are not for eating raw.
Growing from Seed
Seed is the natural starting point for Border Privet, and the process is uncomplicated. Broadcast the seed thinly over a fine, free-draining compost, sieve a little more compost on top, and water with a fine rose. A cool, moist period before sowing helps the seeds wake evenly — a few weeks in damp medium in the refrigerator is the usual approach. Grow the youngsters on steadily in pots until well rooted, then move them to their final positions.
Our Take
As a generous, easy shrub, it settles into a routine quickly once established. Once established, Border Privet largely looks after itself. The seed responds well to a spell of cold stratification, a small step that pays off.
Related Reading
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