Chinese Privet

On Mar 21, 2016, coriaceous from ROSLINDALE, MA wrote:

The pollen is a severe allergen.

The state of Florida has designated this species a noxious weed.

The Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council has listed this species as a Category 1 invasive plant.

The Alabama Invasive Plant Council considers this one of the ten worst invasive weeds. http://www.se-eppc.org/pubs/alabama.pdf

This species has naturalized in 25 states: Oregon, Arizona, and Texas to Florida, Kansas to Massachusetts. (BONAP)

On Aug 14, 2011, Ezeiza from Buenos Aires,
Argentina wrote:

Here around Buenos Aires, Argentina and north it is a very invasive plant. Something unusual has happened in the past 10 or so years: birds find the fruits palatable and eat large quantities of them spreading the seeds with their droppings.
In the past birds were indiferen t to the fruits so this occurrence is dreadful.

Seedlings have tenacious roots and unlike many other plants can not be dug easily at this stage and requires the use of a tool, making the process labor and time consuming.

The plant is fine and the scent wonderful but the environmental threat such as to make its introduction to gardens in mild to warm climates an imprudence.

On May 7, 2011, gingerkid88 from Norfolk, VA wrote:

Yes, this plant is a pain in the rear in keeping under control in your garden. They cause severe allergic reactions, overtake any native plant in a matter of months and is a the most time consuming foliage ever when it come to pulling new seedlings from your yard. But yes people, there actually is a plus side!! One of the few (if not only) things this plants is great for is having as a bonsai tree. If you take the time to cultivate it the way you desire, it can turn into one of the most beautiful home decoration plants ever, especially when its in bloom. Also, because of it's "miniature" mature state, pollen and seed control are as easy as a hand broom and dustpan and take less time than tying your shoes does. So, my advice, burn this plant if its even casting a shade in you yard/garden, b... read moreut dont forsake it completely. Take it for what its worth....

On Nov 5, 2009, iris28 from (dana)Owensboro, KY (Zone 6a) wrote:

i actually love this i think im the only one.lol we have a hedge of it with wisteria, early honeysuckle, trumpet vines.. and who knows what else. we prune the branches that come into the yard. it has not taken over anything and hundreds of birds live in there. i have roses planted about 4 ft from it and all are happy. of course wed have 3 extra feet of yard if it were gone but the cardinals and robins and other birds make it worth it.

On Nov 16, 2008, WaterCan2 from Eastern Long Island, NY (Zone 7a) wrote:

Bought 5 of these little 'twigs' at 12" tall to make an informal border against a fence, now 3 yrs later they are 6' tall and 3' wide each. Seemingly indifferent to soil type they love full sun. I found their growth dramatically hindered in partial shade as the 5th one I planted in PS has only grown to 2' tall. A very strong shrub regardless.

So far I have been able to contain them in my yard for my purposes, although the wild birds do love the berries, which contain the seeds...

On May 3, 2008, deang from Austin, TX wrote:

The very qualities that have made ligustrums desirable in suburban landscaping - glossy evergreen leaves, rapid growth, attractive blooms, hardiness, adaptability to shaping - have made it a nuisance in wild areas. Its persistent foliage means that it blocks the sun all year from native plants, and its rapid growth means that it outcompetes them. I'm sure it's perfectly lovely in eastern Asia, its native region (in fact, I'd love to see it among its natural plant associations), but here in Texas it usurps living space from native plants that have been here for millennia, often completely dominating woodlands so that little else can grow.

On Mar 20, 2008, Louannie wrote:

I have this in a couple of "wild" places along my fence, and I let it grow because it's already there and it provides privacy, and I don't have the physical strength to get rid of it. It's mown around, and therefore contained. But I had to get rid of some of it up next to the house when I moved in. Cut them down and then apply Roundup or Brush-Be-Gone (this is a little stronger than Roundup) to the stump. It's easy to keep it from going anywhere else if you use the "foam" option on the sprayer. Let it soak in well and then apply another squirt. It won't come back. I know some people are concerned about using chemicals....but this is the only way to get rid of the stuff, and like I said, the "foam" thing keeps it right there on top of the stub and it doesn't even get on the ground o... read morer in the air. Sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do.

On Mar 12, 2008, niquma from Havelock, NC wrote:

I would not advise anyone to plant this in the yard. We moved into our house a year ago and I am still fighting to eliminate this plant/bush. I have researched and have found nothing effective at removing the seedlings outside of plucking the seedlings out of the ground and chopping down full grown plants. Once the seedlings have taken root, they become hard woody stems in the yard when, if stepped on barefoot will be painful. We almost can't use our backyard because of this obnoxious invasive plant!!!!

On Apr 20, 2007, LawDoggy from San Antonio, TX (Zone 9a) wrote:

I agree 100% with most of you that this is a horrible, invasive and nearly-impossible-to-get-rid-of nuisance. However...I have managed to hack and chop and drill and saw them out of my small, townhouse flowerbed. (These things make roots the size of a normal person's thigh...) The only reason I gave them a neutral rating is that where the seeds have sprouted outside of my wall they are a really lovely groundcover. I keep them sheared about 18 inches to two feet tall on a steep, rocky hillside under some large Live Oak trees. Hardly anything else will grow well in the shade, but this ligustrum provides a tough, completely drought tolerant cover which is lush and dark green year round. I mow the lawn area that it surrounds and just keep mowing down any stray seedlings. They've not bee... read moren a problem and with water restrictions in San Antonio during the hottest months, I'm actually kind of glad to find something that looks healthy, even when I can't water it.

I include the caveat that this stuff seeds itself freely and if left unchecked, it will grow huge and ugly. But if you keep it sheared low, it doesn't make seed and is a very satisfactory ground cover for difficult areas.

On Dec 20, 2006, frostweed from Josephine, Arlington, TX (Zone 8a) wrote:

Chinese Privet Ligustrum sinense is naturalized in Texas and other States and is considered an invasive plant in Texas.

On Oct 14, 2006, verbena8 from Richmond, VA wrote:

I would rather be fighting poison ivy!! Cutting, digging, spraying does no good, and the runners seem to go forever and only stop when they find an established shrub to come up in the middle of. It's like it is hiding and once it gets in your hedges it is almost impossible to get out without removing your bushes. It has taken over a number of yards in our neighborhood.

On Sep 2, 2006, pollencounter from San Diego, CA wrote:

This plant is indeed allergenic and can cause episodes for asthmatics when blooming. It is in the same family as Olive and Ash. If you have allergy tested positive to either, then you ARE allergic to this plant too by cross reactivity (the same allergens are produced). This fact (cross reactivity) is not well explained to us by our beloved allergists. I used to think it smelled good too, but I now know the smell is BAD NEWS! When it's blooming, RUN... and hire someone to whack it for you. Good news... it only causes A&A when it's blooming and you can have the flowers trimmed off and it won't cause (allergy) problems.

On Mar 2, 2006, saltcedar from Austin, TX (Zone 8b) wrote:

Capt Midnight a few others are confusing this plant with
Ligustrum lucidum (Glossy privet) which is also invasive and will grow 15 to 40 ft. tall. Sinensis generally is under 15 feet tall and has small semi-evergreen leaves while L. lucidum has 2 to 5 in. long and 1 to 3 wide evergreen leaves. Both species produce glossy blue-black berries eaten by birds.

On Nov 24, 2005, CaptainMidnight from Austin, TX (Zone 8b) wrote:

I was surprised to see the maximum height as only 12'. My neighbor has one at my fenceline almost 40' tall, and I have been trying to kill 3 others in various locations on my property. One of mine was 20' plus. While it has pleasant smelling flowers and pretty foliage, and seems to be popular with butterflies, it's abundant growth makes it a nuisance. I cannot find a use for this plant other than a high maintenance ornamental, and since none of the wildlife EXCEPT butterflies seem to use it for anything, I cannot justify its presence in my yard.
I tried burning the dried wood, but it's nasty. I advise against planting it without containment, if at all.

On Jul 26, 2005, Crimson from Clarksville, TN (Zone 6b) wrote:

I've identified my invasive bushes on my property as this bush.... as the roots come near the surface it produces another bush and another... and another.... invasive is a understatement. The roots run just under the surface of the ground for amazing lengths, springing up more bushes quite a distance from it's parent plant or in rows running off from the parent. You could actually chop off a section of the root, partly bury it and it would produce a new bush, too bad it's not a attractive bush... tiny flowers/short bloom time/ prone to insect damage & disease and it's INVASIVE. Who thought planting this was a good idea?

On Apr 8, 2005, nick89 from Tallahassee, FL (Zone 8b) wrote:

This small evergreen tree is second in my opinion only to kudzu as the worst southern weed. It forms a dense understory in wodlands, sometimes so thick that it chokes out native understory vegatation. A real nuisance that should be avoided at all costs!!! The variegated form is not invasive and so if you must have a Chinese Privet, grow it. However, any green shoots it produces need to be pruned off.

On Feb 6, 2005, escambiaguy from Atmore, AL (Zone 8b) wrote:

This plant is a disaster. It has almost taken over the woods behind my house. I cant cut it down fast enough. Foliar herbicides sprays do not work. The cut stump treatment is the only way to get rid of it. Small seedlings can be pulled up by hand after the ground is wet.

On Apr 13, 2004, timageous from Austin, TX wrote:

This ligustrum can become a pain. While this fast growing import has beautiful glossy evergreen (in Texas) leaves, sweet smelling flowers, and a nice bark, it is invasive at best. The trees in front of my house spent no less than four months developing hundreds of thousands of small purple drupes which have thoroughly covered my and my neighbor's yards, as well as clogging my gutters. To make it worse, nearly every one of those drupes has gone to seed, providing never ending sprouts even in the most dense portions of my yard.Pre-emergents seem to have little affect. These trees have invaded creek drainages throughout central Texas and do not appear to provide much to the habitat in exchange. If it was not for their height (30+ft) and ample shade they provide, I would have cut them down lon... read moreg ago. Avoid these plants at all costs.