Ligustrum vulgare Straight Talk - Common Privet

The Ligustrum vulgare 'Straight Talk' is a beautiful variety of common privet, distinguished by a particularly narrow and erect habit. In late spring, it produces small, highly fragrant white flowers. Its tough, dark green, evergreen foliage ensures a year-round presence. Very adaptable, it thrives in all soils as long as they are not too acidic or too dry. Ideal even in small gardens, as a hedge, as a standalone plant, or among other bushes.

The 'Straight Talk' common privet belongs to the Oleaceae family, which includes diverse plants such as osmanthus, the famous forsythias, ash trees, and... the olive tree. This species, very common in woodlands throughout Europe, is also widely used as a hedge due to its fast growth and beautiful small, tough, dark green, ovate, evergreen foliage. Between May and July, the bush is covered in white flowers highly attractive to pollinators. It should be noted that its fragrance, somewhat heavy, is not always appreciated by everyone. Although it tolerates shade, the flowering of the privet is more abundant in the sun. In late summer, the flowers give rise to small black fruits, which are also useful to wildlife as birds relish them. Young shoots are sometimes used in basketry, and a black dye was formerly extracted from its crushed fruits.

The 'Straight Talk' variety has a particularly narrow (fastigiate) habit, with slender, vertical branches. Under favorable conditions, it can reach 3 m (10 ft) in height, but will not exceed 60 cm (2 ft) in width, allowing it to be inserted among other shrubs, as well as in smaller gardens as a hedge plant. Its name is a play-on-words: in English, 'straight talk' does indeed mean 'frank speech', but 'straight' can also mean 'straightforward'!

The 'Straight Talk' privet is very adaptable: like all privets, it tolerates frequent pruning very well. If you want to maintain a neatly trimmed hedge, it is generally necessary to prune it twice a year (in spring and at the end of summer, although this variety will mainly require pruning for height). It is not afraid of temporarily waterlogged soils or coastal areas, nor does it mind limestone. However, avoid very acidic, shallow, and very dry soils, where it will grow much less well. Its persistent leaves (except during severe frost) also make it an excellent privacy screen and windbreak. It can be useful to prune it quite low initially to densify its branching. Its rather shallow and drying root system implies using ground cover plants that tolerate dry conditions at its base, such as 'Froehnleiten' barrenwort or periwinkle, for example.

It will be perfect in rural designs, but also in more sophisticated settings thanks to its remarkable architecture. For example, you can associate it with other small columnar plants, such as 'Ivory Tower' yew or 'Fastigiata' crenate holly for a very graphic scene, but also with round and compact shrubs for a contrast of shapes, such as 'Tor' birch-leaved spirea, 'Admiration' barberry, or even 'Choisya White Dazzler'.