Golden Privet - Ligustrum ovalifolium Aureum

The Ligustrum ovalifolium 'Aureum', also known as Golden Privet, is an excellent hedge shrub, erect, vigorous and compact, with bright golden variegated foliage. It has white, scented summer flowers followed by black berries. Depending on your budget, the length of your hedge, your patience, and the time you can dedicate to gardening, different types of products are available to you.

- For an economical golden privet hedge, opt for 9 cm pots that can be planted all year round. The soil should be prepared carefully (thorough weeding, removal of all roots, planting trench) and it is preferable to place a tarpaulin at the base of the shrubs to limit the germination of weed seeds and avoid having to weed, while they establish themselves. Once established, they grow quickly and will soon catch up with their cultivated counterparts in pots. This is the most economical solution when it comes to creating a hedge of at least 10 m (32.8 ft) in length.

- For a fast-growing golden privet hedge, or to fill in an existing hedge, choose shrubs 2, 3 or even 10 litre pots. Potted shrubs can be planted all year round, except during periods of frost or heatwave. They should be planted in individual planting holes, like any other shrubs in the garden. While they make an immediate impact, they take a little longer to "get going" and will require more frequent and regular watering, especially when the summer is dry.

Respect the correct planting distance according to the size of your plant! Allow 60 cm (23.6 in) of space between each plant for shrubs in pots, 70 to 80 cm (31.5 in) for 2 or 3 litre pots, and 80 cm (31.5 in) to 1 m (3.3 ft) for pots up to 10 litres.

Originating in Japan, Ligustrum ovalifolium 'Aureum'  is a medium-sized shrub with a bushy habit and erect, vigorous stems. It grows rapidly, measuring about 2 m (6.6 ft) in height with a width of 1.50 m (4.9ft). Its intensely branched foliage consists of glossy, narrow and ovate, lanceolate leaves, green with a broad golden margin, measuring between 3 and 7 cm (2.8 in) in length, and appearing very early in spring. In June-July, small cream-white, heavily-scented and melliferous flowers appear in panicles measuring 5 to 10 cm (3.9 in). After flowering, small spherical black berries appear in autumn, which persist for part of the winter. The leaves, flowers and fruit of the privet are toxic to humans and animals if ingested. Take care when pruning.

The golden privet  is extremely hardy and very easy to grow, thriving in ordinary garden soil and sunny or semi-shaded positions. Its golden foliage will be brightest in full sun. In shaded positions, the leaves may tend to be more green than yellow.

With its very decorative foliage and compact and bushy habit, Ligustrum ovalifolium 'Aureum' can be planted in various ways.

It is one of the most decorative varieties for forming hedges and windbreaks, due to its green and yellow foliage, size, hardiness, very dense branching, and its high tolerance for repeated pruning. It is easily shaped, making it well-suited to the art of bonsai. It is also well-suited for topiary (in ball or other shapes), or even grown as a standard or half-standard and cultivated in pots. It will look good in combination with other trimmed shrubs with different forms and foliage, for a very graphic and minimalist decor.

It also works well when planted in groups, mass plantings, borders, rockeries, as free-standing specimens, or wild hedges.

It can be planted with other shrubs (Photinia, Eleagnus, St. John's Wort, Kerria japonica) and perennial plants (daylily, Verbena bonariansis, tree lupin), and by letting it grow freely it will create a lovely wild hedge full of flowers and beautiful foliage. The roots of the privet maybe harmful to any perennial plants planted at its base so leave a sufficiently large planting distance around it.

Properties:

Due to its heavily-scented pollen-laden melliferous flowers, this privet attracts and helps to preserve the bee population.

Its pollen can be allergenic for those people who are sensitive to it.

It has a very high resistance to pollution.