Plant Type

Shrub

 

Height Range

6-12'

 

Flower Color

White

 

Flower Season

Spring

 

Leaf Color

Dark Green

 

Bark Color

Brown

 

Fruit Color

Black

 

Fruit Season

Fall

Sun

Full, Half

 

Water

Low, Medium

 

Growth Rate

Fast

 

Soil Type

Sandy, Clay, Loam, Rocky, Unparticular

 

Soil Condition

Average, Rich, Poor, Well-drained, Dry

 

Soil pH

Acid, Neutral, Basic

 

Adverse Factors

Invasive

Design Styles

English Cottage, Formal

 

Accenting Features

n/a

 

Seasonal Interest

n/a

 

Location Uses

Background, Shrub Border, Foundation, Walls / Fences

 

Special Uses

Hedge, Screen, Naturalizing

 

Attracts Wildlife

Birds, Butterflies

Amur privet, a northern China native, is a dense, erect, multi-stemmed, fast-growing, deciduous shrub (semi-evergreen in mild winters) that typically matures to 12 to 15 feet tall and about 8 to 12 feet wide. It has elliptic to oblong leaves that are a deep, dull green above with hair on the underside midribs. Creamy white flowers in panicles bloom May to June and attact butterflies. Some think the flowers have an unpleasant aroma, but they give way to oval black drupes which ripen in fall and are enjoyed by birds.

Grow in average, dry to medium, well-drained soils in full sun to part shade. Tolerant of a wide range of soils, except wet ones. Tolerant of urban conditions. Responds well to pruning. Specimen plants actually require little pruning and should be pruned selectively as needed in spring after flowering. Hedges may be pruned in spring before flowering (if flowers are not a concern) and at 1-2 additional times during the summer to shape and to encourage dense branching. Plants may naturalize by self-seeding in optimum growing conditions, and may form thickets in areas where growth is not controlled.