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Privet Wikimedia Commons
Oleaceae

Privet

Ligustrum vulgare

Defense and prohibition.

Family
Oleaceae
Genus
Ligustrum
Native to
Europe, North Africa, Western Asia
Bloom season
Spring, Summer
Type
shrub
Height
6-15 ft
Sunlight
full sun to partial shade
Soil
adaptable, well-drained
Water
moderate
Hardiness
4-8
Lifespan
perennial

Did you know

  • Privet hedges have been used in English gardens since Roman times as living fences and windbreaks.
  • Its heavily scented flowers are loved by butterflies but disliked by many people for their cloying sweetness.
  • The berries are mildly toxic to humans but are an important winter food source for birds like thrushes.
  • Privet is the plant family relative of olives and jasmine, all belonging to the Oleaceae family.
  • In the Harry Potter series, the Dursleys famously live on Privet Drive, named after this common hedge shrub.

Color meanings

0

protection

1

prohibition

2

mildness

Uses

  • hedging
  • topiary
  • wildlife habitat
  • screening