Has anyone grown Privet? I was at Lowe's earlier in the week and saw Red Admirals inside their store (garden section) nectaring on the Privet plant blossom - they are very fragrant too!
I couldn't resist...and purchased two. Now that do I do with them? Are they larval hosts for any butterfly or moth?
I need to research the plant...but any ideas are welcomed!
~ Cat
Tell me about Privet?
Which Privit is it Cat?
RUT ROH...am at work...and got drafted for overtime. Won't get the name until late tonight or tomorrow morning :o) I saw a name tag on it...so there's hope for research.
Blooms white...tiny flowers...smells purrrrrrrty :o)
~ Cat
sweet olive, maybe?
Okay, the label says Ligustrum japonicum texanum, waxleaf privet. Couldn't find any information on it being a larval host but did read where it's a good nectar source.
Also read the plant can be invasive? If it attracts butterflies, I guess invasive is good!!!
~ Cat
This is what Texas Parks and Wildlife says about Privet and others:
"These species are causing problems by escaping propagation in our gardens and choking out native species, forming aggressive monocultures in our environment and destroying habitat for wildlife. Please avoid them in your Wildscape planning."
http://www2.tpwd.state.tx.us/huntwild/wild/wildscapes/guidance/plants/invasives/
WOW!!! That's too invasive for me. These two one gallon plants will go into large 5 gallon pots instead of the ground. :o)
Thanks for the heads up!!!
~ Cat
They're not invasive because they spread by roots or rhizomes, birds eat the berries and transport them all over the South. Ligustrum sinense is worse, big problem in Fla. and other gulf states.
I love ligustrum, but it makes me sneeze. It's very reliable, evergreen, and if it gets big enough can be used as a fairy fort. Trust me.
Reason I asked which one Cat, is because my SIL gave me some 11 years ago when we moved here. I planted it in the back corner. This year when we cleared out the Gnarly Bradford Pear back there, this wonderful treeish shrub appeared,, The birds do like it, and yes it pops up in various places. It stayed green all winter and the Warblers and Kinglets liked to hang out in there a lot. I really like this in the corner shaped as a tree.. The seedlings are easy to pull up and get all the root.. To me personally, it is worth the trouble. It will be blooming in the next few days and weeks ahead and I will get some better pics.
I'm with you brigidlily.. it's a great plant to have in a butterfly garden. SIL gave it to me as a small shrub.. It's taken 11 years to grow this big. Another is growing n the opposite corner of the back yard, (I havn't cleared up around it very well yet), and it does need some shaping, but it is a few years old. Now is the time for me to begin shaping it, and I have debated with myself on keeping it. Decided it stays! :-)
Seedling are easy to spot and easy to pull up.
The larger one, (in first pic), is beginning to bloom now. I took all three of these pics 5 minutes ago.
These sprigs of blooms would probably look nice in cut flower arangements...
Deb
Very nice Mike... I truly understand what they can look like if they are in an unkempt area... I don't doubt their invasiveness at all. I still love mine and I am going to keep the one small one in the opposite corner. I am always out there, and I have more problems with weeds and the Bradford Pear suckers than I have ever had with this Privit.
:-Deb
Nothing nice about it that I can see. Also I'm not sure what you mean by an 'unkempt area'.... Park land in Texas? Alabama? Escambiaguy's property? The problems occur in places other than where it's planted, that's why it's considered invasive. It will be someone else's problem.
It's a solution for me Mike, and I love it... guess it's all in how you look at it. By unkempt I meant, for instance, that small seedling in the picture above~ If I were to ignore it for many years it could be a problem for me. Personally, I am glad I have it. It takes some regular tending to keep nice, agreed fairly high maintainence (HM). To me they give a lot back. Non-invasive HM plants can as much of a bother imo. Many of the oriental plant species can be invasive because they are so HM, and when one self-sows and gets to grow can become unruley for sure.
As with any invasive, when they pop up in our gardens we can spot them and make a decision. I guess some people can't handle surprises and free gifts from the birdies no matter what they are, but I have DG. I can get on here and see if they have any value and opt to keep, relocate or toss. I have tossed several of these, and decided to keep the extra one.
Knowing what I know now I would buy one if I didn't already have 2. I needed an evergreen privacy barrier and a sturdy windbreak for the butterfly garden in back, it so happens these are exactly the plant I needed.
Cat, I think you should be okay with the Ligustrum japonicum.
It's the more invasive L. sinense which causes the most problems because it is able to grow rapidly in woodland shade, which L.japonicum is usually not.
Yes Cat~
I think you can safely plant them in the ground too, when you decide exactly where you want it. The way it propagates you wil be able to keep it just fine.
Deb
I love that corner tree privet. Looks very neat and must be great when it's in full bloom.
As far as invasive goes...guess we just need to keep up with our plants. If I see something getting out of hand I'll keep cutting it back or as a last resort, remove it. Like air potato! I thought the leaves and coverage provided by that were great...but when it started climbing up the telephone pole and going over and under the fence I pulled it out. I really did like the foliage and density/privacy it offered but hated having to upkeep it.
Again, I love the look of that one in the corner - hope mine will turn out like that...but in fewer years :o)
~ Cat
Your butterflies are going to like it a lot. The ones mine came from were a part of SIL's neighbors. They have it as a privacy hedge. It will gain about 1-1.5 ' a year. Plus it is an evergreen.. When everything else gets bare. Even frozen quite a lot of leaves.
The winter birds this Privit attracts are so special. When all the butterflies are down there, we still have wildlife to watch. Kinglets will gravitate toward this tree in late fall, and stay until mid February. I already miss those tiny little birds that set up house in the Privit.
Deb - I LOVE that photo of the little Kinglet! So cute! I miss my finch flock. They all left about 2 weeks ago. (Bummer!!!)