Ligustrum jonandrum - Yunnan Privet

Ligustrum jonandrum, or more precisely Ligustrum delavayanum var. ionandrum, is a botanical species of Chinese origin that is sometimes called Yunnan privet. It is cultivated for its small, shiny green, dense foliage, and its excellent ability to withstand repeated pruning that allows its shape to be moulded according to the desires of each gardener. This highly branched bush is also very ornamental when it grows freely in a dense mass, wider than it is tall. Its honey-scented summer flowering gives way to blue-black berries that delight birds in winter. It is easy to grow in ordinary but well-drained soil. In colder regions it requires a sheltered exposure, as its average hardiness is one of its few weaknesses. 

Yunnan privet belongs to the Oleaceae family, just like olives, forsythias, and jasmines. It is native, as its name suggests, to the Chinese province of Yunnan, but also to Burma. In nature, it most often grows on fresh, fertile, loamy-sandy or sandy-clayey soils. However, it is very tolerant, supporting slightly acidic, neutral, or even distinctly calcareous soils or even salt-impregnated soils from snow removal. It has a trailing root system, so voracious that it is often impossible to grow other plants at its base. When not pruned, it has a bushy and spreading habit, which is naturally compact. It will slowly reach an average height of 1.80 m (5.9 ft) with a spread of 2.50 m (8. ft). Its flexible, slender branches, which tend to intertwine, bear very small evergreen leaves. The leaves are single, opposite, elliptical in shape, and a fairly dark green colour with a shiny finish. Flowering takes place in late spring or summer, from May to July, in the form of fragrant terminal panicles, composed of small tube-shaped flowers. The flowers are white with a tinge of purple, and are popular with pollinating insects. They are followed by the formation of small fruits called drupes that turn black-blue at maturity.

Yunnan privet is perfect in any space. It brings a precise, orderly, reassuring note to the structure of a garden, and quickly adds life to neglected areas. Its flowering, fruits and foliage will provide interest all year round, and a home for many small animals that are useful in the garden. For the artistic gardener, it is perfect for the creation of topiary features. It also has the benefit of providing privacy against prying eyes! You can let it grow freely, in a grove of colourful shrubs, such as viburnum, cotoneaster, pyracantha, holly, eleagnus, deciduous or evergreen euonymus, brooms, bay laurel and cherry laurel. Be inspired!