Also known as Oval-Leaf Privet or Garden Privet, Ligustrum ovalifolium is a semi-evergreen hedge widely used for its fast growth, neat appearance, and year-round screening potential. Valued for its dense foliage and excellent response to clipping, it remains a popular choice for both residential gardens and urban spaces where structure, privacy, and ease of maintenance are essential.
Growing Conditions
Privet thrives in a wide range of soils, including clay, chalk, loam, and sandy soils, as long as they are well-drained. It grows happily in both sun and partial shade, and tolerates pollution well, making it ideal for city gardens, driveways, and street-side planting.
Where to Plant It
This fast-growing hedge is ideal for front garden boundaries, low-maintenance formal hedges, or topiary-style shapes. It can also be used to create dense screens in smaller spaces where evergreen presence is needed without the scale of conifers or laurels.
Foliage, Flowers & Structure
Privet Hedging produces glossy green, oval-shaped leaves, which it typically retains through winter in milder conditions, though it may drop some leaves in exposed or colder sites. In early summer, small clusters of white flowers may appear, especially on less frequently trimmed hedges. These are followed by black berries that attract birds and other wildlife.
Size & Growth
-
Growth Rate: Fast (40–60 cm per year)
-
Ultimate Height: Easily maintained at 1–4 metres
-
Spacing: 3–5 plants per metre (double row for denser screens)
-
Time to Establish: 2–4 years for a full, dense hedge
Delivery
Pallet delivery £70 to most of mainland UK — FREE on orders over £500. One pallet carries up to 5 multi-stem trees or 15 hedging plants and the delivery price is the same however full it is, so it pays to fill your pallet. Kerbside delivery; we’ll contact you to arrange a convenient day. Scottish Highlands & Islands may carry a small surcharge — confirmed before dispatch.
Plant Now or Reserve for Autumn
We deliver all year round — our container-grown stock can be planted in any season (summer planting just needs committed watering). Prefer to plant in autumn, when establishment is easiest? Order now and add a note at checkout — we’ll reserve your plants and deliver when you’re ready.
Planting & Aftercare
Every order includes our planting and establishment notes. The single biggest factor in success is water: new plants need generous, regular watering through their first two growing seasons. Follow the guide and your plants will establish strongly — and we’re on the end of the phone if you need us.
Why Tree Heritage
We’re a working nursery in Hertfordshire, not a reseller. Every plant is selected, grown on and quality-checked by our own team before it leaves the nursery.
