The privet hedge. It used to be quite the thing for creating privacy around a landscape. Large estates and suburban tract homes alike planted these durable plants.

But privets brought problems.

They can be really invasive. Blocking the view of your neighbor’s patio is one thing; creating a pest plant colony is another.

Don’t be that person! You were right to want to use a plant instead of a stockade fence, but let’s choose a plant that won’t cause problems: a sterile privet.

Golden Ticket® Ligustrum is a sterile form of the golden vicary privet you’re probably familiar with. It has the same (or better) bright golden color and high tolerance for lots of stresses, including deer, drought, and pollution. It’s hardy in USDA 5-9 and will grow in full sun to part shade. You can expect it to get 4-6′ tall and wide.

It’s a great choice for hedges. That’s how privets have traditionally been used. Privet, privy, privacy – they all have the same root word (privatus).

People who have been spending a lot of time at home might want a little privacy, and this is just the plant to use!

A little potty humor

Challenging times can lead to some strange humor. The absurdists among us are doing well, as is anyone with a predilection for what my mother would call gallows humor. I won’t go there in this newsletter; potty humor seems more professional.

The stuff of second-grade comedians has been elevated to an art form by the masses stuck at home with a meme generator and a limited supply of toilet paper. What would have been inappropriate a couple of months ago is now the kind of thing you can share with grandma and get a laugh. It works because everyone gets it. Although it took me three trips to the store last week to get mine…

So what do bathrooms and plants have in common? Well, sometimes you’ve got to hold it. This helpful guide was produced for floriculture, but woody ornamental growers will find it helpful, too.