Privet - Wild (Ligustrum vulgare)

Our range of Wild Privet bare root plants (Ligustrum vulgare)

We have bare root Wild Privet in several specifications.  The 1+1 transplants are grown from seed in the first year and then they are lifted, the roots are trimmed to encourage bushy growth, and they are planted back out into a different area of the field, with much wider spacing (so that they can access more nutrients and water) and grown on for a further full growing season ie they are two years old.  We sell them when they are in dormant season from November to April. All these plants are grown by us in Herefordshire.

We also have cell grown Wild Privet which are grown by one of the UK's best specialist growers and these plants are available for sale all year round.

Wild Privet (Ligustrum vulgare) Summary

Privet has a reputation as a somewhat boring suburban hedge but the variety we grow is the wild, native one and has a great deal to recommend it though it should not be used where animals graze (especially horses).  It is one of the few evergreen species of hedging plant (it is virtually evergreen and only loses its leaves in particularly cold winters or in particularly exposed sites), which gives wildlife winter protection, and it grows well in shade, even dense shade.  On top of that, it has a tendency to root where it’s stems touch the ground, so it bulks up to form a thicket, has white flowers (pungent!) in summer and shiny black berries which are very bitter but are still popular with birds. 

Wild privet responds well to trimming to provide a thick, semi-evergreen, hedge that provides good game cover in a woodland setting.

Soil and Situation

Wild Privet grows throughout lowland Britain, on any soils other than waterlogged soil, and does particularly well on chalk, lighter soils with some moisture. It has a vigorous and fibrous root system that grows well in its ideal soils but will tolerate dry, poor conditions, pollution, salty and windswept sites. It grows well in full sun, partial shade and deeper shade.

Leaves, flowers and fruit

The leaves are like the suburban Common privet (Ligustrum ovalifolium which originates from Japan) but longer and narrower, oval, dark green, and quite shiny, held opposite each other on pale brown shoots. The leaves are the main food stuff for the privet hawk moth.  Flowers are creamy white held in large clusters and very pungent.  Fruits are small black berries, popular with thrushes and other birds but extremely poisonous to humans and livestock.

The bark is smooth, light brown on young shoots, becoming darker and duller with age.

Please note – although this plant is described as “virtually evergreen” it does defoliate when lifted from our fields so is likely to be delivered without leaves.

Eventual height

Ligustrum vulgare would grow to about 6m if left unpruned.

This section gives definitions on the specifications of plants that we sell.  We are specialists in field grown (or bare root) plants which are grown in two ways.  The majority are grown from seed, some are ready within one growing season (seedlings or 1+0's) and some species require two growing seasons (1u1's).  In addition to growing from seed we also grow from small plants or cuttings (transplants) which are much more widely spaced (taking more land, more irrigation water, fertilisers and labour).  There are only a handful of bare root wholesale nurseries in the UK and of those even fewer grow transplants but Ray Jenkins has many years' experience of transplanting so we grow these in large volumes.  Ray has written this blog about the benefits of bare root plants and how they are grown and another blog which gives further detail on bare root specifications.

The detailed specifications are shown below.  If you are in doubt about what specification to use please email us on enquiries@rjtreesandhedging.co.uk with a description of the project (and photos if appropriate) and we will advise you.

1+0 - field grown in one season from seed, known as a seedling (sometimes called a whip), generally a slender single stem plant.   These are the cheapest specification and are particularly suitable for planting where weed competition will be less intense, soil is shallow or on exposed windy sites.  Gives a high root to shoot ratio and minimal plant "check".

2+0 - a 2 year seedling, field grown from seed in the same seed bed in two growing seasons where the species cannot be grown to a saleable plant from seed in one season

1U1 - 2 year old plant called an undercut, field grown for two seasons in the same seed bed and undercut by machine (a sharp blade cutting the roots under the soil level) after the first year to develop the root structure. We do this with several species which take 2 years to develop (eg oak, beech, hornbeam)

1+1 - 2 year old plant (transplant) grown from seed in the first year and then transplanted into a different area of the field and spaced out for the second growing season - a robust plant with a larger and more robust root system than seedling or undercut plant which will enable it to better withstand drought and weed competition. Often the best choice and the staple norm for farm hedging and this specification is a requirement of the Countryside Stewardship Grant

1+2- a 3 year old plant, two years field growing in the seedbed and then transplanted (and spaced out) for a further two growing seasons giving a tall, stocky, bushy plant

2+1- a 3 year old plant, two years field growing in the seedbed and then transplanted (and spaced out) for a further growing season, giving a strong bushy plant

3+1 - as above but field grown for a further growing season for more height and a very bushy plant

1+3- 4 year old, one year field growing in the seed beds and then transplanted (and spaced out) for three years, giving a very strong, bushy plant

2+2- 4 year old, two years field growing in the seed beds and then transplanted (and spaced out) for a further two years - a very mature plant suited to certain species like beech and hornbeam where we can offer almost instant hedging

and some that are a bit different.....

P9 - a plant grown in a greenhouse or polytunnel in a 9cm pot (for holly which germinates poorly in the field)

Cell grown - a plant grown in small deep cells (like a small yogurt pot) and then lifted out of those for transportation. Commonly used in forestry and large hedging projects.  Very high quality plants with excellent success rate.  See our blog on the benefits of cell grown plants.

C+1 or C+2 - a 3 or 4 year old plant initally started as hardwood cuttings grown on for a year as cell grown plants and then lined out in fields to grow on for a further 1 or 2 years (a technique used for Cherry Laurel)

0/1 - a hardwood cutting, then field grown for one season (for example for white willow, black poplar and osier)