If I'm correct, I think it's the regular waxleaf ligustrum that is invasive/troublesome. The one labeled 'Texanum' is better behaved and only gets to 8' tall.

where to start? They are overused, boring, ugly, get scraggly, they are ugly & boring, non-native.
They get mold.
So many other choices!
Tally HO!

My biggest complaint is, my mom's allergic to them.

Anytime they're in bloom and she gets a whiff, she starts sneezing like crazy.

Here they get straggly and are host to a variety of molds, aphids, whitefly and mealy bugs. And they make me sneeze. Perhaps in less humidity?
Tally HO!

Yes, they do attract Cedar Waxwings, a beautiful bird. Also a bird that eats more than it needs to and leaves purple polka dots on your patio. Ligustrums also self-seed on their own. When we moved here to the farm and I brought two pallets of plants with me, I checked each and every pot to make sure it didn't have a ligustrum seedling in it!
Ligustrums make a quick, evergreen hedge and can be kept trimmed to a reasonable height. But the self-seeding and invasiveness put it on my "don't want" list.

My ligustrums have been well-behaved, but then, I pull up all kinds of things without even checking what they are ... perhaps I just haven't noticed how many come up. Either that or the birds carry off the seeds to my neighbors' yards ... lol!

I would go for a mixed hedge, with something like this ... A majority of sturdy, evergreen shrubs, and a few scattered among them that bloomed at different seasons of the year. For example, some forsythia, flowering quince, barberry, Osier dogwood, crepe myrtle, nandina, holly, maybe even a few big perennials like salvia and berry bushes. Depending on the kind of fence, you might try vines, too. Passion flower and AMERICAN wisteria (not chinese!!!) make good, relatively quick covers.

How poisonous are japanese privets? Also how allergenic are they.
I have small children.

Not sure everyone is singing from the same page here. There is the Glossy Privet, commonly known as Japanese ligustrum which, if allowed to do so, will turn into a small tree 25 ft. or so tall. It is virtually indestructible, and quite invasive. It thrives in sun or shade. It has darker leaves than its cousin, Ligustrum Japonicum, better known as waxleaf ligustrum. It will get perhaps 12 ft. or so tall, and requires a bit more light. I learned the hard way that even mature specimens cannot take Central Texas drought without some supplemental watering. It has been charged with being "invasive," but I've never observed any evidence of this.

I've had both these plants for some 15 years, and have never observed any signs of fungal disease on either. I suppose results might vary, depending on the amount of precipitation and humidity. If either is poisonous, Neil Sperry doesn't mention it.

And the seeds travel throughout your yard and plants pop up everywhere. Grrrrrr!!!!!

My mil's waxleaf ligustrums aren't invasive but I absolutely hate the smell of the blooms. Personal preference, I know.

A good replacement in Texas and much of the south would be something like Yaupon Holly or Wax Myrtle. Though the Wax Myrtle can start to wander a bit.

I don't like Ligustrum either. We have a lot of problems with it naturalizing in the parks and wild spaces. Cherry Laurel is a native that does the same thing . It Has nice glossy evergreen leaves and is drought hardy, I think it is a lot more attractive. I had easier time growing it in Blackland prairie and regular garden soil than out here on caliche though.

Here is a link that might be useful: Cherry Laurel

I have three that I LOVE! They smell wonderful in the spring and the bees LOVE them. (And I love the bees!) I've never had any trouble as far as aphids or mold here in Texas, but have seen aphids on them in Louisiana. They are not growing anywhere I didn't plant them, so they don't seem invasive to me. Honestly, other than being overdone, I can't see the downside.

How do you get them to not be 'leggy'? Prune the top?

No! They will turn into trees, unless you occasionally prune the lowest branches. This will encourage new growth, keeping the plant bushy.

It perhaps bears mentioning that the Japanese Privet will not flower, and bear fruit for birds to scatter, unless it gets sufficient light. It is the ideal shrub for areas that get little sun.

"they're not invasive in my yard"
Exactly--the birds spread them so they're invasive in everyone else's yards, and the wildlife areas also.
Stop saying this--it's selfish & illogical.

But my major beef with waxleaf ligustrums is that you could plant something better with similar size & leaves:
-Cherry Laurel
-Indian Hawthorne (the tall pink-flowered kind)
-Gardenia (the big kind, not the dwarf kind)

Seriously, spend $5 more per shrub now and you could have either a beautiful native or endless fragrant flowers in the summer for decades.
Buying a ligustrum is penny-wise, dollar-foolish.

AND they're a pain to pull out. Just about impossible to kill & forget pulling the stump. I pulled out a bunch at my last house and I've got a couple at this house. I want 'em gone, but I'm dreading it. For now I'm just trimming off all the berries so they won't become someone else's problem (which is tedious but not painful.)

I don't know, Ligustrum Texanum aren't too bad.

Here is a link that might be useful: Ligustrum Texanum

burntplants(8/9TX)'s problem with privet is what I love about it. The hedge was here when we bought this house 45 years ago. I did little for it except prune it occasionally. It's straggly, but blooms profusely and forms berries. Our native bees come out in force to collect pollen; berry-eating birds love it. I plant my garden for animals, great and small. Habitat loss and chemicals are wiping out bees and birds. The privet hasn't invaded anything--I wish it would. Last year's cold, snowy winter and previous drought damage, as well as a neighbor's damage to roots (building a retainer wall) finally killed 3 of the bushes. I have 3 plants in containers. I will replant them. My neighbors either have service maintain their yards or cultivate gardens like mine. I have many pokeweeds showing up, because birds eat them too and spread the seeds. I keep some. remove some. I have lots of pollen allergies. Some years ago I pulled out 2 lilacs and 1 bridal wreath because they kept me inside for much of the spring.

If you go Ligustrum, I agree to use 'Texanum variety' If you want more privacy I suggest a row of Juniper C. 'Torulosa.' Privacy Hedges will always take some maintenance, but those two should keep it to a minimum, plus the 'Torulosa' looks really nice.

Everything's fine, until the privet "bushes" across the street turn into trees and your allergies turn into an asthmatic reaction. The pollen and berries are everywhere in the neighborhood. Previous tenant kept bush under control but look at it now!

holy cow! Are you sure there's a house there? All I see is a garage and a giant shrub.

Amazing isn't it!! There's a second one to the right as well. So unbelievable how quickly this got out of control. Sending letter to landlord very soon as soon as I stop wheezing.

I thats the Ligustrum japonicum, not the Ligustrum japonicum 'texanum'. The Texas Privet is a cultivar that does not really grow past 12 feet. There are different species of Ligustrum, and they look very very similar, until the larger varieties mature.

To be fair kitadu you wouldnt know if youre ligustrum has "invaded" anything. If the birds eat the berries they can carry seeds miles away. These trees have naturalized in the woods in my area. They are not a boon for wildlife because birds eat the berries and bees collect the nectar The relationship between birds, insects, plants and other animals, even fungi, in a particular area is much more complex than that. I like native plants but have plenty of exotic things but nothing that is going to escape my garden. I wouldn't plant a privet not only is it invasive its just not special and definitely overused I don't know what part of texas the original poster is from, and that makes a difference as to what a good alternative is. There are some eastern red cedars( j virginiana) in cultivation that will give some privacy pretty quickly - I have one called canaertii that is often used for that purpose

Your comment is accurate. I don't know if my birds spread poke weed. Every yard here seems to have several plants--meaning 8 blocks by 8 blocks where I walk frequently. There are many scraggly privet hedges in this area, as well. Which came first is a chicken and egg problem.. My hedge is hanging in, but has not sprouted any new seedlings to fill in missing bushes. My house is on the edge of a large river park. If anything strays I guess it gets mowed down quickly. Native vs invasives is a straw man. Native plants can invade quickly and kill other native plants by blocking out the sun and wicking away water. My daughter's milkweed took 3 years to establish itself, but after 2 good years it burst out in her neighbors back yards. She has weeded out the invaders and is sinking a deep metal sheet next to it so it can't spread. She also will cut the flowers before they go to seed. Anise hyssop, sunflowers, and daisy fleabane are also eager invaders, but I simply pull them up from places I don't want them. This year daisy fleabane is blooming everywhere in my garden, making it look like a meadow. My back privacy hedge is arbor vitae. It's beautiful and the birds love it. I don't think privet is bad or good; it just works in some places and not in others. By the way, the New Jersey list of noxious weeds names milkweed.

Yes, the common ligustrums are extremely invasive. They come up everywhere...on my property (I take them out, but get tired of doing it), in parks, in other people's yards, etc.

Where privet is a problem, dig it up. You can also chop off the flowers as soon as they appear. I like boxwood for a hedge. The property line between me and my neighbor runs along a retainer wall (my neighbor's) and the space between is narrow. It is hard to plant anything without causing erosion and root damage to other other plantings. Not to mention that the "soil" is red shale and sometimes it takes a pickax to dig a hole. I'm surprised the privet grows at all.

I was just at my friends house in an old subdivision in the Hudson Bend area of Lake Travis. His back yard is a 2 acre mature cedar brake that he has cleared of volunteered ligustrum and Nandina.. The seedlings drive him crazy , but he is now getting Garrya ovata coming up and mountain laurel, agarita and many natives. I saw the beginnings of Nolina texana and big mthly and inland oats. He is excited at what comes up when then invasive are kept at bay. I took a tour of his progress today. I saw it when it was sick with thick ligustrum.He has been keeping up with stuff, and things are looking good. He had cut the branches in a wash and they had held back 2' of dirt. He has some deep dirt to plant som northern sea oats. I suggested that to him and he was not happy with the bare brush dam three years ago . He is happy now.

I cant think of any plants that are any less maintenance than wax leaf privets - Ligustrum japonicum Texanum. Like any other hedge, they need to be shaped with an electric trimmer, and that will take their flower blossoms. They've always been an easy to grow, drought tolerant, and cold resistant hedge that does not grow so large that it would damage concrete.

I can think of many plants that are less maintenance , like the ones mentioned in the post right before yours. The native plants that should be there. You don't have to shear them to keep them from flowering. Shearing the flowers off of something kinda makes me wonder why I have that plant and also sounds like maintenance. Kudzu is extremely low maintenance. Does paradise nursery sell that one ?

I've lost 3 more privet. They were here 45 years ago. I have to replace them, but I need an evergreen shrub that can be kept narrow, grows in shale, tolerates drought and cold winters (not so cold the past few years--climate change), and is not poisonous to birds. It might have to be yew. It's tough. The drupes have a stage when they are very sweet and edible--birds and squirrels love them. They can be brutally pruned and come right back. I have yews that were here when we moved in. We have dug them up and transplanted them many times. I keep one trimmed in a 5 ft dome to keep it dense. This year blue jays nested there. My neighbor has junipers overhanging our garden where a catbird nests every year. One nested in the weigela (not native, but loved by bees and hummingbirds). We put a nest box high in the arbor vitae and wrens nest there regularly. A cardinal nests nearby but I haven't found the nest. When the privet was dense cardinals nested there. I'm in a town in an area overflowing with people and houses. This year we hosted painted lady butterflies, monarchs, viceroys, admirals, sulfurs, skippers, and small blue ones whose name I forget, along with the cabbage whites. My privet hides fledglings and adults, too, when they see a hawk. My lot is only 50'x100' and the house takes up the most room; an embankment limits our front garden but. it's loaded with life. The privet doesn't spread elsewhere. I live across the street from a river park. A privet has never shown up anywhere. Plants aren't good or bad. They just need to grow where they are wanted and leave other people's gardens alone. Love that privet.

My neighbor has a long row of them along a fence we share, in the back yard. We have horrible allergies. Even though the smell is pleasant , we stay sick for weeks due to the very strong fragrant smell. It took a while for us to realize where the fragrant smell was coming from , actually thought it was the smell of laundry detergent. now know it’s the wax leaf ligustrum..