Ligustrum ovalifolium

Ligustrum ovalifolium is a reliable, fast-growing, semi-evergreen hedging shrub with dense, oval, green foliage that clips cleanly for a smart, year-round screen. In early to mid-summer it can produce small, creamy-white flowers, which may be followed by black berries that are valued by birds. It tolerates sun or shade and a wide range of soils, making it a versatile choice for boundaries and formal structure. If left untrimmed it typically reaches about 34m in height with a spread of around 23m.

Feeding time: Spring (MarchApril) Trimming time: Trim established hedges twice: once in late spring to early summer (MayJune) and again in late summer (August)

To help give a clear sense of scale, the stone wall shown in our photos measures approximately 265cm in height. We also use familiar garden tools as visual references: a digging fork (110cm tall) and a hand fork (30cm tall). These are included purely as size guides to help you better judge proportions when viewing the images.

Position: Sun, partial shade or shade Rate of Growth: Fast Soil: Most well-drained soils, including chalk, clay or sandy Hardiness: Hardy Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Plant at a Glance

light:sun
light:light-shade
light:shade
facing:south
facing:west
facing:north
facing:east
soiltype:moderate-fertile
soiltype:light-sandy
soiltype:heavy-clay
soiltype:chalky
soilmoisture:normal
foliage:semi-evergreen
flowering:june
flowering:july
flowercolour:white
leafcolour:green
size:2m-5m
wildlife:attractive-to-pollinators
wildlife:attractive-to-birds
gardenstyle:formal
gardenstyle:architectural
specialconditions:dry-shade