Privet Shrub seeds Ligustrum vulgare

LATIN NAME: Ligustrum vulgare

COMMON NAME: Common Privet

The common privet is a familiar, tough, evergreen or semi-evergreen shrub of the gardens and the hedges, and its fine, glossy, dark-green leaves and its dense, upright clusters of the small, white, fragrant flowers have made it one of the most used of the hedge plants of the world. It grows as a shrub or a small tree, reaching up to three metres or more, with the upright, branching stems bearing the opposite, oval, pointed, glossy, dark-green leaves and, through the summer, the dense, upright clusters of the many small, white, fragrant flowers, followed by the dense clusters of the small, round, glossy, black berries. It is a species of the flowering shrub in the olive family, and it is native to the Europe and the western Asia, while it is grown as a fine hedge plant, and it is known as the common privet.

The common privet belongs to the olive family, Oleaceae, and it is a species of the evergreen or semi-evergreen shrub, native to the Europe and the western Asia, while it is grown as a fine hedge plant, and it is known as the common privet. It is prized for its fine, glossy, dark-green leaves and its dense clusters of the white flowers.

Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology

The common privet has a real and distinguished place in the research. It has been studied in the horticulture, since its fine, glossy, dark-green leaves and its tough, dense growth have made it one of the most used of the hedge plants, and researchers have examined its growth, its pruning and its cultivation, while its value as a hedge has drawn attention in the international horticultural press as a plant of the garden. The plant has also been studied in the botany and the ecology, since it is a native of the woodlands of the Europe and the western Asia, and its relationships, its distribution and its role in the wild have been examined, while the ecology of the woodland shrubs has been of continuing interest, and its dense clusters of the black berries have been of interest to the birds. The species has also been studied in the chemistry of the natural products and the traditional use, since the parts of the privets have a history of use in the folk ways of the many lands, and researchers have examined the plant and its constituents, while the traditional uses of the privet have been of continuing interest, and the plant is best appreciated as a subject of study and a fine hedge shrub rather than a casual food, and the berries are best not eaten. For a shrub of such quiet value, the common privet has a rich and continuing record of study.

Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications

Ecologically, the common privet is a generous shrub of the garden. Its dense clusters of the small, white, fragrant flowers feed the bees and the many insects, and its dense clusters of the glossy, black berries feed the birds, while its fine, leafy crown gives a fine cover and a shelter to the birds.

Its economic value is real. The common privet is prized for its tough, dense growth and its fine, glossy leaves, and its value has drawn attention in the international horticultural press as a plant of the garden, while its dense, leafy growth has made it one of the most used of the hedge plants of the world. For a grower, the common privet is an easy and rewarding shrub, and for a gardener it brings a fine, glossy, white-flowered, berry-bearing shrub to the hedge and the border. The seeds are easy to start — press them gently into the surface of moist, free-draining soil, keep them lightly watered, and they’ll be sprouting readily, growing on into a fine, glossy, berry-bearing shrub.

Uses: Medicinal. Landscape

Fast Growth, Bonsai, Topiary, Hedge, Fragrant Flowering Shrub, Ornamental Fruit, Bird/Butterfly Attracting, Hardy, Extremely Adaptable, Wildlife Food, Cold, Drought, Wind and Urban Tolerant

Privet is a fast-growing, deciduous (semi-evergreen in mild winter climates) shrub that typically grows 10-15’ tall and as wide. It has good winter hardiness and formerly was the most popular species of privet grown for hedging in northern areas. It tolerates all but very wet soil conditions. It features oval to lanceolate, dark green leaves (to 2.5” long) and small, tubular, white flowers in panicles (to 3” long). Flowers bloom at the stem tips in June. Flowers are very fragrant. Flowers give way to globe-shaped, glossy drupes which ripen to black in fall and persist throughout winter and are loved by birds. Fruit clusters are considered by some to be the best ornamental feature of this species. All parts of the plant are poisonous to human beings, so keep small children away from them.

Other Names: Common privet, European privet