Old Canaan Building Materials

Privet is the most common formal hedge plant in New England, more common than the yew and hornbeam already covered in this archive, faster-growing, and correct for a different set of applications. Where yew and hornbeam are correct for architectural, slow-developing formal structure, privet is correct for the faster, more utilitarian hedge — the property boundary, the screen, the quick formal line.

Privet (Ligustrum) forms a dense, fine-textured deciduous (or semi-evergreen in milder microclimates) hedge with small glossy leaves that respond vigorously to shearing. It reads as a more domestic, less architecturally formal hedge than yew — appropriate for the everyday boundary hedge rather than the showpiece garden wall.

California privet (Ligustrum ovalifolium) and common privet (Ligustrum vulgare) are the species traditionally used in New England hedging, both cold-hardy and tolerant of heavy, repeated shearing. Privet grows quickly — 1 to 2 feet per year once established — reaching a maintainable hedge height of 4 to 6 feet within several years from young nursery stock, far faster than yew or hornbeam.

Privet requires more frequent shearing than yew — typically two to three times per growing season to maintain a crisp formal line, compared to once annually for yew. It tolerates this aggressive maintenance well and recovers quickly from hard pruning if a hedge needs to be reset to a smaller size.

Privet is correct where a formal hedge is needed relatively quickly, where the budget does not support the patient, expensive establishment of yew, or where the more frequent shearing maintenance is an accepted trade-off for faster results and lower initial plant cost.

Widely available from general nurseries and landscape suppliers throughout New England — far more available than yew or hornbeam, reflecting its more common use. Plant young stock in spring at 18 to 24-inch spacing for a dense hedge.