Reproduction of privet. Privet ordinary - an ideal evergreen shrub for creating landscape compositions Growing privet from seeds

Privet grows in the form of a shrub, which, under the influence of scissors, turns into a beautiful fence with a model haircut. Let's take a closer look at what an ordinary privet is, how the plant is planted, cared for and propagated.

Briefly about the plant

Common privet endures cold, so it easily takes root in the harsh conditions of a temperate climate. The plant is often used for landscaping gardens and home gardens.

There are many decorative varieties and forms. The bushes are branched, grow to a height of more than three meters. The plant has 10 cm dark green leaves that hold firmly and for a long time on the stems. Common privet blooms in the middle of summer and blooms for three weeks.
From small creamy-white flowers in paniculate inflorescences, a pleasant aroma emanates. After flowering, blue-black berries appear on the stems of the plant, which are poisonous.

Specialists have developed many new varieties from ordinary privet:

  • Glaucum Albo-marginatum has a variegated form, bluish-green leaves, framed along the edges with light stripes;
  • Aureum has golden leaves but never blooms. Its height reaches one meter;
  • Vicari has broad golden yellow leaves. Such varieties of bushes are grown in places protected from the wind;
  • A species of shrub called Pyramidale has an interesting pyramidal shape;
  • Shrub variety Glaucum has bluish white-edged foliage;
  • Sempervirens is considered an evergreen variety with green leaves;
  • A bush of a variety of Japanese privet grows up to four meters in height. It is shade-tolerant, but capricious in terms of soil moisture;
  • A large shrub of shiny privet has a height of 6 meters, and the fruits are dark blue, small in size. Blooms for three months;
  • The variegated Chinese privet is the owner of long leaves with golden margins and pointed corners. Blooms with pale white flowers in autumn;
  • A round-leaved plant variety has green leaves in winter. Blooms in mid-summer with white flowers. Since the plant does not tolerate cold, it must be stored in a warm place in winter;
  • In the Chinese variety of the plant, the leaves are 3 centimeters wide and grow up to 7 centimeters in length. The bush itself reaches a height of seven meters.

In household plots, privet is grown using the bonsai technique. Spectacular trees of a pyramidal, spherical or other interesting shape are made from bushes. Most often, bonsai are grown from varieties that retain their green appearance all year round.
To decorate the garden with beautiful bushes, you can plant several different varieties of privet in one area. They will create a harmonious image near your home.

Features of planting a plant

Privet endures shade, heat, drought, cold. It can grow in any soil. But, there is an exception: it will not bloom well if it is planted in acidic, dry sandy soil.
In order for the shrub to please with its beautiful view, it is best to plant it in an open area a meter from the buildings. The soil needs to be moderately moistened, nourished with useful substances and dug well.

The best soil for privet is turf mixed with humus and sand in a ratio of 3:2:1.

Plant transplantation can be carried out at any time. But, flower growers recommend that the transplantation procedure be performed in the spring, until the buds wake up. Some flower lovers transplant them in the fall.

Plants that grow in the form of shrubs can be used for landscaping and forming hedges. The choice of varieties and views is huge. But there are among them the most adapted to the climatic conditions of the regions of our country.

Common privet shrub or ligustrum in another way belongs to the family of olive plants. In nature, it can be found in East Asia, in the south of Russia, in Southern Europe, North Africa, Asia Minor and Australia. The privet plant belongs to the evergreen shrubs.

Description of the privet shrub and its photo

We offer a brief description of the common privet shrub, which is accompanied by numerous photos of the plant. The leaves are elongated, non-smooth, dark green in color, for the most part (there are also yellowish ones). The flowers are snow-white, fragrant, small in size, collected in inflorescences in the form of tassels or panicles. Flowers are bisexual, with a white corolla. The color of the shrub can be observed in June-July. The fruits are bluish-black, the ripening period is September-October.

Some varieties of privet shrub can reach a length of up to five meters. The bark of the plant is white with a shade of gray, smoothly structured.

The fruit is a drupe, which has seeds inside in an amount of one to four. The fruit, for the most part, appears in September-October and hangs throughout the winter period. About a hundred fruits can be harvested from one privet bush. Look at the photo of common privet in the stage of growth, flowering and fruiting:

Planting and caring for privet

It is recommended to start caring for privet with the selection of the right soil composition, namely, fertile, medium acidity and drainage equipment. A little lime should be added to the prepared soil. When organizing the care of privet, attention should be paid to the structure of the soil mixture. The presence of drainage at a depth of about 60 cm is mandatory.

It is advised to grow a flower in a place where the sun's rays fall, but in a shaded place it will not grow so bad. On top of that, the plant easily tolerates dry weather, as well as moderate waterlogging.

Unshakably endures frosts in winter, but a decrease in ambient temperature to minus 35 degrees Celsius can lead to the death of the shrub.

Not much effort is required when caring for this shrub, if, of course, you will loosen the ground under it in a timely manner and pluck weeds near it.

By the way, it is possible to reduce the number of weeds, while protecting from overheating, by mulching. But it is only advisable to do this in the spring, when the soil is not yet sufficiently heated.

If you do not water the bush from time to time in the process of caring for privet, especially on hot summer days, the earth will begin to crack, and the plant will slowly die. That is why do not forget about it and water and spray the plant as often as possible, especially when it is hot. And it is best to reduce the amount of watering, and increase the volume of water for one watering, you should moisten the soil by only 50 centimeters.

When the plant grows and develops, the amount of watering should be at least 30-40 liters, and repeated three or four times a day.

The privet shrub also needs pruning in order to keep its shape and not spread. During the growing season, the plant should only be cut once to ground level, preferably. Further pruning just helps to control that the flower does not take up too much space and does not grow too large, but this will not help to eradicate it.

Most varieties of privet are propagated by cuttings and seeds. The plant grows at a high rate and, for the most part, 60 centimeters in length in one year.

Planting of privet can be carried out by seedlings from seeds, by cuttings. Seeds for sowing are selected from the fruits of the shrub, which can be harvested at the end of October. The guarantee that the seeds will sprout is 60%, in connection with this, seed propagation in the garden and in apartments is used quite rarely. Moreover, the bush matures for five, and maybe even six years.

Cuttings for propagation and planting of privet are recommended to be harvested only after the flower has faded. The escape must be young, but developed. It is recommended to remove the cutting under the internode. To do this, it is necessary to remove young sprouts under a plastic bottle, cut off its neck and make 10 to 15 small holes that will allow air to enter the bottle.

To plant sprouts in order to root them should be in a shaded place. Literally after a couple of months, you can remove the bottle, and the newly appearing bushes will wait until next spring.

Bonsai and privet hedge

The formation of bonsai from young privet plants is desirable to begin two years after planting. For privet bonsai, for the most part, flat rectangular containers are chosen. Leaflets on which yellowness appeared are constantly recommended to be removed both from the plant itself and from the ground. The trunk is brushed once or twice a year. The moss that appears on the trunk is also scraped off and removed.

It is advisable to transplant once every two years in the spring. Roots can be trimmed a little. Watering should be quite plentiful. It is necessary to ensure that there are no drafts and sharp jumps in the temperature of the air surrounding the plant.

In preparation for planting a privet hedge, a rope is pulled along a line that is previously marked to create a future row of greenery. Later, you should dig a small hole 50-70 centimeters deep and up to 50 centimeters wide. Plant bushes are placed in the hole made at a distance of about 30-50 centimeters from each other.

After planting the cuttings, they should be watered. To achieve a more effective result, it is watered under the root so that the water soaks the ground 40-50 centimeters deep.

In order for you to get a beautiful privet hedge, it is recommended to prepare special scissors and rope for this, and a template in the form of a wooden frame is best. You can make it yourself from the bars.

It is advised to prune the resulting hedge from birbchina only in the second year after planting the bush. In order to result in a dense crown with a large number of leaves, up to 50% of the growth is removed during pruning. For the third and fourth years - 30% of the increase can be left. After pruning, of course, flowering is not so plentiful, but the growth rate of shoots is greatly increased.

A luxurious dense hedge of privet will turn out if, in the spring, two, or better, three-year-old bushes are cut 10-15 centimeters above the soil. It is desirable to loosen the earth well and fertilize it with non-organic fertilizers.

The second time to feed the land should be at the end of June, then in August with potassium or phosphorus. Young shoots can be shortened in July by 1/3.

If you cut a hedge in the shape of a rectangle, then due to the fact that there will not be enough light, its lower part will be exposed, so a trapezoid shape is preferable.

Varieties and varieties of privet

There are several varieties of privet, which is subdivided according to the shape of the shrub and the method of intended use. Varieties of privet may differ both in terms of their growth and in the appearance of an adult plant. The most commonly used variety is the common privet.

Common privet (Ligustrum vulgare)

Grows up to five meters in height.

Color gives in June-July, duration - 20-25 days.

The fruits are smooth, in the form of berries, hang on the bush until January, but they are poisonous.

It grows in the undergrowth, under the canopy of mature trees.

In a year it can grow 30 centimeters long and 30 centimeters wide.

Its crown diameter is five meters.

Durable shrub, can live up to 70 years.

Its flowers are bell-shaped, white with a yellowish tint, 1 centimeter in diameter.

Look at the common privet in the photo shown below:

Japanese privet (Ligustrum japonicum)

A variety of this variety resembles brilliant privet.

Crown - up to 4 meters in height.

But the color keeps a shorter time than brilliant privet. However, it is more shade-tolerant and capricious in terms of moistening the land on which it grows.

privet golden

This is a variation of Japanese privet or oval-leaved privet with golden leaves.

It grows at a very fast rate and develops into a luxurious tall plant that lends itself easily to the formation of living sculptures and hedges.

Grows well in almost any soil, except for wet.

It does not tolerate drafts and pollution, but requires being in a fairly bright area.

The leaves are smooth oval in shape, reach six centimeters in height. In the central part they are green, and along the edges of a bright golden hue.

The bark is gray with a brown tint.

The flowers are small, tube-shaped, off-white.

Brilliant privet (Ligustrum lucidum)

This variety of privet is a large shrub, reaching up to six meters in height. Color can be observed for three months. The fruits are dark blue, small.

Privet variegated

A variety of Chinese privet.

The leaves are long, pointed with golden margins.

In autumn, you can see pale white flowers.

Privet round-leaved

Leaves retain their color in winter.

The flowers are off-white, bloom in July, are honey-bearing.

It does not tolerate frost, so it should be placed in a protected and insulated place.

Oval privet (Ligustrum ovalifolium)

Reaches up to one meter in height, one might say. That, compared with other varieties of privet, this is a rather dwarfed species.

It does not bloom, for the most part, unfortunately. And if it blooms, then you can see the flowers are narrow with an unpleasant odor.

Does not tolerate frost.

Privet "Sinense"

It grows in China, Taiwan and Vietnam.

The second name is Chinese privet.

Leaves fall.

They grow up to seven meters in length.

Leaves reach 7 centimeters in height and 3 centimeters in width.


Landscaping of personal plots looks attractive when there is a hedge. She encloses the site in a natural way, giving the garden a touch of romance. Both small shrubs and large ones that form small trees can serve as hedges. Among the variety of such shrubs, common privet occupies a special place. It is widespread in Europe, Africa, Australia and Asia, is an evergreen. Belongs to the olive family.

plant description

Common privet is a shrub up to three meters in height and a meter in width. It is characterized by white smooth bark with winter ovoid buds. Elliptical leaves are thick and leathery, located on thin twigs. The flowers of the shrub are both male and female. They have small four-toothed buds, the petals of which are connected into a tube. Flowering occurs in the form of panicles located in the center and on the side shoots. Their aroma is very pleasant. During this period, they acquire a special decorative effect. The fruits are a drupe that ripens in the first half of autumn and can overwinter on a shrub.

There are three types of common privet:

  • deciduous, shedding foliage in cold climates;
  • evergreen cultivars that overwinter with leaves on branches;
  • mixed, characterized by partial fall of leaves.

Landscape designers enjoy working with shrubs. It can be made into all sorts of shapes. Although this takes time, as the shrub does not grow very quickly. Be patient and you will receive an original copy. The most popular varieties are:

  1. Aureum. Variety one and a half meters high. The leaves have a golden border. Its decorative effect is best opened in sunny areas, since in the shade the shrub loses the beautiful color of the leaves. Shrubs cover only in severe frosts.
  2. Glaucum. Small sizes, up to a meter. It has a spreading crown. The leaves are narrow with a bluish bloom and a white border.
  3. Atrovirens. Bush of considerable size. The foliage has no spots and borders.

Care rules

Common privet loves fertile soils, with good drainage, its slight salinization is allowed. It is good to add a small amount of lime to the soil. In general, the soil should contain humus and sand, as well as leafy soil and peat. Cultivation takes place in sunny areas. But if you cannot provide it to her, do not despair. The shade will not harm the plant. It will grow well in such conditions. The shrub is also not picky about moisture. It tolerates low humidity and drought well. In winter, it withstands moderate cold, but severe frosts can destroy it.

Shrubs are planted in pits, which should not be less than 50 centimeters in depth. Fertilizers are laid in them at the bottom, which will contribute to the active growth of the plant.

Common privet care includes loosening the earth and cleaning weeds. To facilitate their work, they resort to mulching the soil. Dry grass and sawdust are used as mulch. Mulch retains moisture for a long time and does not allow the active growth of weeds. Thanks to her, the root system is protected from overheating in the summer months.

The shrub requires regular watering, especially in the heat. If the soil begins to crack due to lack of moisture, then it may wither. Therefore, you should not allow the earth to such a state and carry out regular watering of the plant, especially during the growing season. It is good enough to fill the bush once so that the soil is moistened up to 50 centimeters. As it dries out, it is necessary to repeat watering. In autumn, they are reduced.

A very important point of care will be pruning. It allows you to give the shrub a neat shape and does not allow additional growth. In the first three years, a third of the trunk is removed during the pruning process, and in the following, they simply maintain the size of the hedge. It is best to carry it out before the onset of autumn.

To reduce the acidity of the soil, chalk is added under the bushes of the plant, lime or dolomite flour can be added. The plant will respond positively to the addition of potash and phosphate fertilizers. Basically, top dressing is applied twice a season. You can also carry out foliar top dressing on the leaves.

Shrub propagation

The shrub grows very quickly and after planting it can grow up to 60 centimeters per year. It can be propagated in several ways:


Possible problems

Basically, the shrub is rarely affected by invasions of various pests. But sometimes it is attacked by a shield or a false shield. In order to prevent the shrub is sprayed in the summer. It will also help the invasion of the spider mite.

Aphids can attack the bush. It is found on branches and leaves of privet. From which the leaves dry and fall off. Thrips may also appear. It is promoted by an increase in temperature and low humidity. The leaves are covered with white dots on the underside. With various pests, treatment with special products purchased in flower shops will help.

Improper care causes fungal diseases of plants. Acidic soil, for example, contributes to the appearance of pale green spots on the leaves. Treatment of the plant with foundationazole helps to cope with these problems.

Often in childhood we heard the phrase “wolf berry” when our parents warned us about the danger of poisoning by those beautiful berries that we met in a clearing in the forest. What are these "bad berries" and why are they called that?

It turns out that there are a lot of plants with poisonous berries in nature and they are all called wolf, in honor of such a predatory and death-bearing animal as a wolf. The fruits of the following plants are popularly called wolfberries:

  • Privet, he is a wolfberry or wolf's bast
  • Buckthorn brittle
  • Voronets
  • Elder
  • Honeysuckle
  • Boxthorn
  • calla
  • Snowberry
  • girlish grapes

And this is not the whole list of poisonous plants.

Plants of the common privet genus are shrubs or small trees, are evergreen or semi-evergreen, belong to the olive family. This is a poisonous plant, the fruits of which are popularly called "wolfberry". It poses a danger to humans, because it contains the substance solanine, which causes poisoning when it enters the stomach and even on the skin. However, the shrub is a great success with gardeners. Often its plantings are used as hedges.

Description and types of common privet

This shrub is deciduous and grows well in shady areas, usually in oak undergrowth, often reaching a height of 5 meters. The leaves are leathery, oblong, sometimes lanceolate, dark on the outside, and light on the back. The flowers are small, white, collected in inflorescences in the form of panicles about 6 cm long, the smell is sweet and intoxicating. Blooms for about 20 days, from June to mid-July. Fruits on branches, keep until winter, as privet is a plant belonging to winter-hardy species. Wolfberries are usually black in color with a few seeds inside. In general, the shrub resembles lilac in appearance, but blooms not so abundantly and beautifully.

In nature, there are 10 varieties of common privet:

  1. pyramidal
  2. weeping
  3. golden
  4. evergreen
  5. yellowish
  6. yellow-fruited
  7. silver-coloured
  8. gray-gray
  9. golden
  10. bluish - white-edged

Distribution area and breeding methods

Common privet grows in the Caucasus, in the south of Ukraine, in the north of Moldova, in the north of Africa, in Asia Minor, in the middle and in the south of Europe. The privet shrub begins to produce berries only in the seventh year of life. Therefore, to obtain seeds, it is cultivated on an industrial scale. However, growing shrubs from seeds is a long and laborious process. In horticulture, the propagation method is often used using cuttings, layering or root offspring.

Wolf berries - good or bad?

Privet has proven itself as a means for the destruction of various agricultural pests. Infusions are prepared from berries to combat Colorado potato beetles and other garden insects. Since the infusion is poisonous, when spraying it, it is necessary to observe appropriate safety measures and produce it in the early stages of plant development, while the fruits have not yet ripened.

In the old days, ordinary writing ink was produced from the black fruits of privet. Currently, the shrub is used as a living fence in gardens and orchards.

Like many other poisonous plants, wolfberries are used in traditional medicine recipes, especially in homeopathy, observing the correct dosage. Preparations based on various extracts from various parts of this plant are used to treat the following diseases and abnormalities:

  • Diseases of the heart and blood vessels
  • Diseases of the kidneys and liver
  • Nervous conditions and mental disorders
  • Joint diseases
  • Eye diseases
  • Viral diseases
  • low immunity
  • Noise in ears
  • Early graying of hair

Traditional medicine also uses tinctures of various parts of this plant to treat diseases of the respiratory system, colds, and skin ailments.

Important! In order to avoid poisoning, it is strictly forbidden to self-medicate with this plant!


What danger is fraught with wolfberries?

Since not only berries, but also all parts of the plant contain the poison solanine, this shrub must be handled with extreme caution. It is necessary to remember and warn children that privet is poisonous. Eating just 5 berries causes certain death. Shiny privet is especially poisonous. If you are accidentally poisoned by wolfberries, you must urgently take appropriate measures to cleanse your stomach and call an ambulance.

Symptoms of poisoning

  • Severe burning sensation in the mouth
  • Gagging
  • Difficulty swallowing
  • Stomach upset
  • Cutting in the eyes and tearing
  • Muscle cramps and general weakness

When flowering, the plant should not lean close to it and inhale the aroma. If pollen from a plant enters the body during inhalation, this will also cause certain health problems in the form of irritation of the mucous membrane. If the juice of the plant gets on the skin, a burn, ulcers and painful swelling may occur.

What to do in case of poisoning

If someone unknowingly ate a poisonous privet berry, then first of all it is necessary to call an ambulance and then perform the following actions with the poisoned person:

  1. Induce vomiting, give the patient a large amount of water with a weak solution of potassium permanganate to drink.
  2. Give the patient activated charcoal at the rate of 1 tablet per kilogram of body weight.
  3. If possible, give the victim a cleansing enema.
  4. Convulsions and cardiac arrest are possible, so it is advisable to give the patient cardiac preparations according to the instructions for use.
  5. After the procedures performed, put the person in a calm horizontal state and wait for an ambulance.
  6. In case of contact with the juice of the plant on the skin, it is urgent to wash the affected area with any disinfectant or a weak solution of potassium permanganate.

Usually, in all cases, the victim is hospitalized and treated in a hospital.

So, the privet plant can be both useful and extremely dangerous for humans. When in contact with it, it is necessary to comply with safety rules, and a mandatory warning about its toxic properties, both for children and adults. Be attentive to the plants around you!

Privet grows in the form of a shrub, which, under the influence of scissors, turns into a beautiful fence with a model haircut. Let's take a closer look at what an ordinary privet is, how the plant is planted, cared for and propagated.

Briefly about the plant

Common privet endures cold, so it easily takes root in the harsh conditions of a temperate climate. The plant is often used for landscaping gardens and home gardens.

There are many decorative varieties and forms. The bushes are branched, grow to a height of more than three meters. The plant has 10 cm dark green leaves that hold firmly and for a long time on the stems. Common privet blooms in the middle of summer and blooms for three weeks.
From small creamy-white flowers in paniculate inflorescences, a pleasant aroma emanates. After flowering, blue-black berries appear on the stems of the plant, which are poisonous.

Specialists have developed many new varieties from ordinary privet:

  • Glaucum Albo-marginatum has a variegated form, bluish-green leaves, framed along the edges with light stripes;
  • Aureum has golden leaves but never blooms. Its height reaches one meter;
  • Vicari has broad golden yellow leaves. Such varieties of bushes are grown in places protected from the wind;
  • A species of shrub called Pyramidale has an interesting pyramidal shape;
  • Shrub variety Glaucum has bluish white-edged foliage;
  • Sempervirens is considered an evergreen variety with green leaves;
  • A bush of a variety of Japanese privet grows up to four meters in height. It is shade-tolerant, but capricious in terms of soil moisture;
  • A large shrub of shiny privet has a height of 6 meters, and the fruits are dark blue, small in size. Blooms for three months;
  • The variegated Chinese privet is the owner of long leaves with golden margins and pointed corners. Blooms with pale white flowers in autumn;
  • A round-leaved plant variety has green leaves in winter. Blooms in mid-summer with white flowers. Since the plant does not tolerate cold, it must be stored in a warm place in winter;
  • In the Chinese variety of the plant, the leaves are 3 centimeters wide and grow up to 7 centimeters in length. The bush itself reaches a height of seven meters.

In household plots, privet is grown using the bonsai technique. Spectacular trees of a pyramidal, spherical or other interesting shape are made from bushes. Most often, bonsai are grown from varieties that retain their green appearance all year round.
To decorate the garden with beautiful bushes, you can plant several different varieties of privet in one area. They will create a harmonious image near your home.

Features of planting a plant

Privet endures shade, heat, drought, cold. It can grow in any soil. But, there is an exception: it will not bloom well if it is planted in acidic, dry sandy soil.
In order for the shrub to please with its beautiful view, it is best to plant it in an open area a meter from the buildings. The soil needs to be moderately moistened, nourished with useful substances and dug well.

The best soil for privet is turf mixed with humus and sand in a ratio of 3:2:1.

Plant transplantation can be carried out at any time. But, flower growers recommend that the transplantation procedure be performed in the spring, until the buds wake up. Some flower lovers transplant them in the fall.