Will my Wax Ligustrum grow back?

9 years ago

last modified: 9 years ago

Cut them back to about 2 feet. I read that they will grow back but husband was told they will not. :/ Zone 9 Houston, TX

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Comments (5)

Dave in NoVA • N. Virginia • zone 7A
9 years ago
Well, they're pretty tough. And ours periodically defoliate from cold, and seem to come back. So I don't know why not. Looks like it's a done deal anyway. Are there small buds emerging yet?
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
9 years ago
what dave said ...

but really.. they are planted way to close to the house ... and you might be better off.. if they didnt survive ...

if i was redo'ing that landscape.. they would have been the first thing pulled ...

the best evidence of the poor siting.. was that you couldnt wash the windows.. if you wanted to

too many peeps plant these nice little plants bought from bigboxstore.. with no contemplation of their vigor.. and how big they can potentially get ... over the decades ...

they think the foundation plantings are to be planted on the foundation ... rather than 3 to 5 feet further out.. to hide the foundation ...

and whats the deal with that window ... going down to about one foot ... there is barely anything you could plant in front of it ... its like the builder made the window fit the facade .. be damned ...

and dont get me wrong.. its a gorgeous house.. i am looking at it from a garden perspective ... must have been cave like in the living room behind that old jungle ...

BTW .. anyone.. is this the invasive privet??? ... Ligustrum????

i am also wondering ..... if hubby is trying to get you to separate from these old things .. crikey ... just tell him he is right.. and plant some new mistakes.. lol .. its not often he gets to here such ... lol ..

ken
Sandra Matula thanked ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
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Nell & nckvilledudes, Thanks for you help. The process of elimination is never a waste of time. I appreciate your sincere help. Pam, That is not OT at all! On these plants, each leaf has one little cream-colored bump, or node, on the backside on the central leaf vein. The stems are dark green and the leaves are a lighter green. I looked again. They are not glossy, but they are waxy. Like I said before, they remind me of lemon tree leaves, except no fragrance. No scent at all that I can detect. We shall see. I'll grow them in pots until I discover what they are. I don't want to open Pandora's Box if they turn out to be something invasive. They sure are pretty though! Thanks to all. ~Annie
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Ken, you really need to lose the "it doesn't matter what it is; who cares at this time of year" chatter. It is such bad advice in almost every instance, deciduous or not. dasch, I would like to see pictures, too, but I would suspect that your Ligustrum has the very common Cercospora leaf spot fungus, a real problem with evergreen Ligustrum in the south. It causes severe spotting, leaf fall, and even death of shrubs if left untreated. But it can be treated and plants can recover. First and foremost, a thorough clearing of all fallen leaves and mulch from around the plants is essential. Replace the mulch in the spring. If you have an irrigation system, adjust the timing so that it comes on in the pre-dawn hours and for heaven's sake cut it way back or even off for the winter. In the late winter/early spring, your shrubs should be cut back severely, even to the ground. As new growth occurs, a fungicidal program should commence. Timely applications of appropriate fungicides can keep your shrubs symptom free. Is your landscaper reasonably knowledgeable? There are many fungicidal treatments available to treat Cercospora, as seen HERE in the fact sheet from Clemson. Ligustrum can be completely disease free in the first place. It needs to be grown in a sunny location, pruned carefully upon occasion to allow for optimum air circulation, and overhead irrigation timed to avoid wet foliage all night long. I suspect that your landscaper hedges these shrubs to keep them to a decent size. A plant that is quite capable of reaching 15-20 feet tall doesn't take happily to shearing over a long period of time. Regarding the powdery mildew on the stems of your plant....I will have to see pictures to believe it. My wager is that it is a type of lichen, which starts out as white splotches in the bark. Lichen is an almost certain occurance on Ligustrum that have started to defoliate due to Cercosporum disease. Pictures, pictures please!
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User
9 years ago
Have seen them cut to the ground and they came back. In Silsbee,tx

East of Houston.
Sherry8aNorthAL
9 years ago
Yes, the will grow back. You will be happier if you take the ones in front of the windows out and get rid of them or relocate them. I would put something evergreen that is very low growing. You want to look at the mature max height. Mine came up from the stumps like yours that my husband left. It also came back from the stump after I had him cut it level with the ground. They can even be trained as a small tree by trimming of the lower shoots and leaving the top. I love the flowers and fragrance when they bloom (and the bees do also).
Sandra Matula
Original Author
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Thank you all. This is what I've done. Three Japanese boxwood in back, 2 dwarf holly in front of those. Three Nandina blush pink on the right. On the left I've got a yucca color guard, juniper and 4 red sisters in front of window. Looks pretty sad. Thought I did my research but it's not looking as I planned. I would love to pull the ligustrum but not sure what to replace it with. Yucca and dwarf ya upon holly were bought half price. Hoping they survive. and house is stained from fig ivy. Husbands going to try bleach.

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Will my Wax Ligustrum grow back?

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Dave in NoVA • N. Virginia • zone 7A

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5

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Will my Wax Ligustrum grow back?

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Dave in NoVA • N. Virginia • zone 7A

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5

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Sherry8aNorthAL

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