Wild privet, Ligustrum vulgare, is native to the UK and Europe and is often included in mixed native hedge mixes to provide evergreen cover in winter. It bears small white flowers in summer, followed by dark purple/black berries. It’s a popular roosting and nesting habitat for birds and its flowers and berries are well used by local wildlife. It’s the main caterpillar foodplant of the privet hawk-moth, Sphinx ligustri.
Water your privet hedges weekly. You may need to water more frequently in high heat. Drip irrigation is a good choice, especially for new hedges. Once established, they are noted to be drought tolerant.
Privet varieties like either full sun or part sun, and will grow best when they get more sun. A good amount of sun also brings out the color best for gold and variegated varieties.
Privet is tolerant of a variety of soil types, as well as different levels of acidity and alkalinity, so long as it drains well. When you are planting a hedge, be sure to note any changes in soil type or condition, which will affect the uniformity of the hedge. Amend the soil if there are any areas of poor soil. They are salt-tolerant plants, which is an important consideration if they will be near a street that gets salted in the winter.
Shear these bushes after they have flowered; thereafter, shear them an additional three or four times during the course of the summer. Privet hedges will become bushier and fill in better if they are pruned correctly and frequently.
Depending on plant variety and the zone in which you live, privet hedges can be evergreen, semi-evergreen, or deciduous. Not being evergreen in the north, privet hedges will be attractive for only a portion of the year there; for the same reason, they cannot furnish privacy year-round.
Poisonous, though the toxicity is of a very low order and normally the consumption of the fruit leads to vomiting or no symptoms at all
