Ligustrum sinense Eugene Clive - Chinese Privet

Ligustrum sinense 'Eugene Clive' is a variety of Chinese privet selected for its very compact habit, perfectly suited to small spaces and topiary art. With its  dense evergreen foliage, it is perfect for creating a low hedge. In regions that are not too cold, it will be an interesting alternative to boxwood, including in coastal gardens. In addition to its unique appearance, this small Chinese privet offers charming summer flowering and small blue-black berries that persist long into winter. It can be planted it in a container, protecting it from heavy frost in winter.

Ligustrum sinense 'Eugene Clive' belongs to the Oleaceae family, just like lilacs and forsythia. Its ancestor is native to the warm temperate and subtropical regions of Southeast Asia and the Far East (China, Vietnam, Laos). It is a small bushy shrub, which is pleasantly tousled. It often grows in clumps, meaning that several stems originate directly from the stump. It has a fairly rapid growth rate, reaching about 1.5m (5ft) in height and 1m (3ft) in width if not pruned.

The branches of 'Eugene Clive' bear small coriaceous, opposite, entire, ovate and pointed leaves, thick and shiny on the upper side, measuring 1 to 3cm (1in) in length and 1 to 2cm (1in) in width. They persist in mild climates during winter. Flowering occurs in July or earlier, depending on the region. At the ends of the current year's shoots, panicles composed of tiny white-cream flowers appear, whose scent may not be pleasant to some humans, but attracts many pollinating insects. They give way to small deep blue-black berries, provided no pruning is done after flowering. Note that all parts of the privet are toxic to humans if ingested. Moderately hardy, this Chinese privet once established can withstand short frosts of around -10°C (14°F). It adapts to a wide range of sufficiently deep soils and tolerates summer drought relatively well.

Privet hides a treasure among the approximately 50 species that make up the genus. 'Eugene Clive' Chinese privet is easy to grow, and valued for adding a precise, orderly, reassuring note to the structure of the garden or terrace. It will capture attention for a good part of the year with its beautiful foliage, buzzing bee-filled flowering, and clustered fruits. It can be used for large borders and dense hedges, with Lonicera nitida for example, but can also be left to grow freely in a shrub bed with deutzias, dwarf barberries, Japanese spireas, and Mexican orange bushes, for example.