Privet: Nuisance Tree

The privet tree (Ligustrum lucidum) is a fast-growing evergreen that can grow 25 to 40 feet in height. It has glossy dark green leaves and tiny yellowish flowers that bloom from late spring to summer and give off an unpleasant smell. In the old neighborhood where I live they are a real nuisance. In most cases they probably started out as hedges but are now 25-30 feet tall. They need absolutely no encouragement to grow vigorously. Suckers come up all around their trunks to assure their posterity and are difficult to pull from the ground.

The first few years after I moved into my house I was protective of the seven or eight of them that lined my back fence because they provided privacy and shade. My neighbor on the other side of the fence complained about the mess they made – a nonstop parade of falling debris. Pollen-laden flower clusters, messy purple berries and dead leaves made it almost impossible to grow anything else near them. I just thought he was crabby.

For the past several years the neighbor on my garage side, who believes everything that grows has a right to be there, has encouraged each little privet that sprouts. I cut them back when they come over the fence but even with a ladder I’m no match for their rapid growth. The bloom is ending now and very soon the berries will come, along with birds in a feeding frenzy. You can probably imagine what my driveway looks like then. Guess who’s crabby now?

The privet tree. (photo by Marime Burton)