Privet (Ligustrum) is a total staple in many of our yards, especially when it comes to creating lush, green privacy hedges. If you’re looking to add more of these hardy shrubs to your landscape without breaking the bank, you’re in luck! Propagating them yourself is actually pretty easy. Let’s walk through the best ways to get the job done.
The Different Ways to Propagate Privet
There are a few different ways to grow new privet plants. The most popular methods include:
- Growing from cuttings (softwood or hardwood)
- Layering
- Growing from seeds
Propagating Privet with Cuttings
Using cuttings is by far the most common and successful way to DIY your privet propagation. It’s straightforward enough for any home gardener. Here’s how you do it:
- Snip off some young shoots from your privet shrub, aiming for pieces about 8 inches long. Spring is the perfect time to do this. Pro tip: If you’re already planning on pruning your privet, just save those healthy clippings to use as cuttings!
- Strip off the bottom leaves and trim the very tip of the cutting. This encourages the plant to branch out better later on.
- Stick your cuttings into starter pots. Push them deep into the soil so only about 2 inches are poking out the top.
- Keep the soil consistently moist—don’t let those little guys dry out!
- It won’t take long for roots to start forming. Once they’ve established a solid root system and grown a bit, you can transplant your new privet babies directly into your garden.
- Alternatively, you can try “hardwood cuttings” by sticking dormant stems directly into the ground where you want them to grow and letting nature take its course.
Propagating Privet through Layering
Another reliable method is called “layering.” This creates a new plant that is a genetic clone of the parent. Here’s the step-by-step:
- Find a long, flexible branch near the bottom of your main shrub that can easily reach the ground.
- Bend the branch down, secure it to the soil with a landscape staple or a heavy stone, and cover that section with dirt. Make sure the very tip of the branch is still peeking out of the soil.
- Keep the area well-watered.
- Once you see new growth and leaves popping up, you’ll know it has rooted. At that point, just snip the new plant away from the “mother” shrub with sharp shears and move it to its new home in the garden or into a container.
Propagating Privet from Seed
Yes, you can technically grow privet from seed, but fair warning: this method requires a ton of patience! The seeds develop inside the berries that appear after the privet flowers are pollinated. Between the fruit ripening and the seeds actually germinating, you’re looking at a long wait. While you can certainly plant dried, ripe seeds, the other methods mentioned above are usually much faster and more reliable for most of us.
