Oval-leaved Privet 'Albovariegatum'

Oval-leaved Privet (Ligustrum ovalifolium) 'Albovariegatum' is a pool of light for a dark corner of the garden. Every glossy oval leaf is edged with a broad, irregular creamy-white margin, and the dense upright crown looks dusted with sunlight even on an overcast day.

This is the classic material for clipped hedges, green walls, edging and topiary spheres: it regrows fast and comes back denser after every cut. Left alone it runs up to 3-4.5 m; in a hedge it is kept far lower. Unlike the gold-leaved forms, it gives a cool white-and-green contrast that freshens a planting.

Key characteristics:

• What makes it special: All parts of the plant are harmful if eaten, so a privet hedge is worth placing thoughtfully in a garden where small children play.
• Dimensions: Left unclipped it opens up into a substantial shrub: 3-4.5 m tall and 3-4.5 m wide at maturity.
• Hardiness: Winter-hardy - down to -29 °C (USDA zone 5).
• Flowering: In June-July the shrub is dressed in upright panicles of white tubular flowers.
• Light: Full sun or partial shade; in the open the variegation of the leaves shows more clearly.
• Soil: Takes any well-drained soil with ease and holds up calmly in town conditions - the only places to avoid are waterlogged ones.
• Watering: Water sparingly to moderately - privet is drought-tolerant, and the one thing it dislikes is waterlogged soil.
• Care: Clip it right after flowering and shape hedges once or twice over the summer - the shrub recovers easily.
• Landscape use: Formal and informal hedges, screens, edgings and topiary, and a bright accent in a shrub border.