And lastly, as long as I keep them pruned back, they are okay to keep? In other words, if they were on your property would you remove them?? And how do you discard them?? I think keeping them pruned back is very responsible. The only thing I would ask is what will you do when you move one day? Will the people after you take that approach or let them bloom and fruit? If they leave them alone then you have left behind an invasive plant. If they were on my property, I'd get rid of them. Maybe not the first year, but I'd start thinking about it and what I'd do differently in that spot. No, you don't have to burn them. You can just cut them up and discard them the same as any yard waste. I'd leave them long enough to make sure they were dead before I put them in the trash/yard waste bin. These guys are incredibly resilient and able to resprout if they are given a chance. I appreciate your taking the time to consider this. You are ahead of the average person in this regard. Sometimes I feel like the most outspoken person in the southeast about ligustrum, but I think that people need to be educated.

Well, I for one am really curious to hear how this experient works out. Having lived in west Texas before, and knowing how hard it is to keep young plants well hydrated in the winds, I think there might be some merit to the potato method. I had heard of doing this slightly differently though: The old method I have read of but never tried, instructs you to cut a wedge of potato (it didnt mention the eyes, but removing them sounds smart), and slice about halfway through it as if you were going to cut it up into chunks. Slip your rose cutting in to this slice, seating the rose cutting well into the potato body. Water it well, and plant it into a pot of good soil. Allow the soil to dry out between waterings, so the potato won't rot.

I don't like Ligustrum myself. But the former owner planted 5 out on our street corner bed to block noise and view in/out from the intersection. They froze off terribly in February's Snowpocalypse, with all leaves "crispy critters". These are well-estsablished plants at 6'-7'. My husband doesn't want to take them out, so we pruned them back to 4' this morning. Just in the last couple days they are showing new leaves pushing through on the branches, but only down low on the plants. We'll seee how things fo. I just planted 5 Ligustrum sinense 'Sunshine" in a mass planting direct in the ground out at the point of that v-shaped bed, beside the Ligustrum vulgares. They are grouped behind 6 "recovering" Giant Liriopes with a newly emerged rose bush in the front/center of the mass planting. I have no idea what type/color of rose it is, as it has been one spindly sick twig for 5 years and after a tree removal, is loving the new-found light and air. I need some color there and am eager for the "Sunshine" Ligustrums to take off. Love their golden leaf color in the sunshine, their shape, and best of all, that they are non-invasive!

I'm jumping in a little late to the party, but just saw this... Ligustrum 'Sunshine' was found by a nursery in NC back in 2002. To date, none of the offspring from this one plant has produced flowers. Without flowers, there are obviously no seeds (or pollen for allergy sufferers). Florida's Agriculture Department, which has Ligustrum on their noxious weed list, has reviewed the data and now allows them to be sold there. Under extreme stress we have seen the occasional green branch sport. These have also been propagated and grown out to see what happens. Although more vigorous, they have not produced any flowers either. We do recommend the removal of any branch sports (dark green shoots) that may occur. This is standard for most non green shrubs (especially variegated ones), as usually these sports are more vigorous than the mother plant, and can look odd as they continue to grow. Invasive issues are serious, and we do not promote plants that have demonstrated the potential to become pests. This is one of the reasons we have separate plant lists for our regional programs.