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In country houses and gardens, plants are often grown as living fencing. Mainly ornamental trees and shrubs with picturesque leaves or beautiful flowers. Privet ovalifolia is one such plant that is widely used by landscape designers.
This shrub is related to lilacs and has similar leaves and flowers. But in order for privet to fit into the design, it needs to be cut, giving the plant the desired shape.
Description of privet oval-leaved
Oval-leaved privet grows up to 2 m. If the crop is grown as a tree, then the dense crown occupies about 6 m.
The name of the species was not chosen by chance, but based on the shape of the oval leaf blades. On the outside they are dark green, the lower part of the leaf is much lighter.
Flowering begins in early June or July, it all depends on the growing region and climatic conditions. White panicles 15-20 cm long delight the eye for almost 3 months.The flowers are fragrant and are an excellent honey plant. In place of the inflorescences, fruits are formed - blue or black seeds. Each fruit contains 1-3 seeds.
Since oval-leaved privet grows quickly and is frost-resistant, it is most often grown as a green hedge. You just need to skillfully trim the bushes.
Varieties of oval-leaved privet
Privet oval-leaved is a representative of the Olive family. The name comes from the Latin “ligare” (to knit). And this is no coincidence: plant bark has an astringent effect.
These evergreen trees or shrubs grow in Europe and Asia. There are more than 50 varieties.
Privet oval-leaved Aureum
Privet Aureum is a semi-evergreen shrub that does not grow higher than 1.5 m. Inflorescences never form on oval-leaved privet Aureum. Landscape designers choose the plant for its unusual leaves. The golden border stands out brightly against the green background.
To preserve the color of the leaf blades, the plant must be planted in the sun, since the yellow border disappears in the shade. Since the variety is semi-evergreen, leaf fall is observed only when grown in a temperate climate. In the southern regions, ovate-leaved privet Aureum overwinters with leaves.
Privet ovate Green Diamond
Green Diamond is translated as “green diamond”.
A dwarf shrub with upright, well-branched shoots, height – no more than 60 cm.The foliage is bright green, shiny, does not fly away in the fall and does not change color.
Flowering is abundant, the buds are creamy white and resemble bunches. Late June or early July flowering shrub fills the entire area with a honey aroma.
The variety is unpretentious in care, undemanding to soil composition, winter-hardy, with excellent immunity to diseases and pests. Oval-leaved privet can be safely pruned; this procedure will cause it to grow even more.
In landscape design, Green Diamond is used for planting in pots, for decorating borders and hedges. Oval-leaved privet looks great among coniferous trees and shrubs.
Privet oval-leaved Argentum
This variety is a low-growing shrub - no higher than 1 m. The oval-leaved privet Argentum corresponds to the name of the chemical element: the leaf blades have a creamy edge. From the outside it seems that the leaves have been touched with silver.
The shrub blooms in June-July. It can be grown in any climatic conditions, since privet oval-leaved is an unpretentious plant.
Pruning only benefits the bushes, which are most often planted on borders.
Planting and caring for round-leaved privet
Planting is practically no different from other deciduous shrubs. Work can be planned for early spring, before buds open, or for mid-September. In the south, you can plant privet in October.
The plant is demanding of nutritious soil. The mixture is made up of the following components:
- humus;
- leaf soil;
- peat;
- sand of large fractions.
You should not choose an area where groundwater comes close to the surface.In any case, a reliable drainage cushion is placed at the bottom of the hole, since the root system cannot tolerate waterlogging.
Caring for ovate-leaved privet comes down to the following activities:
- weeding and loosening;
- watering and fertilizing;
- various types of pruning.
Preparing seedlings and planting area
Seedlings purchased or grown independently need to be saturated with moisture and disinfected from diseases and pests. To do this, privet with an open root system is placed in a pink solution of manganese or any agent that stimulates the development of this part of the plant.
Seedlings grown in containers are watered 1-2 hours before planting to remove the plant without damaging the roots.
Privet roundleaf prefers nutritious soils, the main thing is that they are not too acidic. And also open, well-lit places.
Before planting, dig up the soil using a spade bayonet and select weeds. For single or group arrangement of bushes, holes are dug. If privet is planted to create a hedge, then a trench is dug.
Landing rules
And now about the landing algorithm:
- Dig a hole measuring 75x75 cm, with a depth exceeding the length of the roots by 40 cm. Fill it with water.
- When the water is absorbed, lay a drainage cushion (15 cm) of crushed stone or small pebbles.
- Fill with nutrient mixture.
- Straighten the root system of the privet seedling and place it in the center of the hole.
- Fill in the soil so that the root collar remains above the surface.
- Trample the soil around the trunk and water it.
- To retain moisture, the root zone needs to be mulched.
For hedges, seedlings are placed in a trench at a distance of 40-45 cm in a checkerboard pattern. The boarding process is no different.
Watering and fertilizing
Systematic watering is required for seedlings after planting for successful rooting. In the future, irrigation is carried out only in dry times, since thanks to its powerful roots, privet is able to extract moisture itself.
When watering, you need to ensure that the soil is wet at least 0.5 m. An adult plant needs 3-4 buckets of water at a time.
As for fertilizing, it is best to use organic matter. It is scattered around the stems. Round-leaved privet Aureum responds well to watering with green fertilizer.
Trimming
Oval-leaved privet tolerates pruning well. There is no need to be afraid that something will not work out during the first cutting: the plant quickly grows new shoots. The formation of a bush begins 2-3 weeks after planting the seedlings and continues as long as it grows on the site.
From a single privet bush you can form various compositions. Moreover, haircuts can be done at any time.
Hedges are trimmed in May and August, cutting off shoots by 50 cm. Tall bushes are more difficult to withstand wintering.
Sanitary pruning is carried out in the spring, damaged shoots are removed, not forgetting to cut off a third of the length while working.
Preparing for winter
If oval-leaved privet is grown in a risky farming area, then in the fall compost is added to a height of 15-20 cm to preserve the root system. Then the bushes are trimmed. If a winter with little snow is expected, it will not hurt to cover the top of the bushes with spruce branches.
Reproduction of oval privet
The plant is easy to propagate on your own, as seedlings can be obtained:
- layering;
- root suckers;
- cuttings.
Reproduction work is carried out in the spring. Layers and cuttings must grow for at least 1-1.5 years before planting in a permanent place. During this time, the plants will grow a good root system.
Diseases and pests
Oval-leaved privet bushes have good immunity to almost all diseases of deciduous plants. But when planted in acidic soils, they can suffer from powdery mildew and spotting. To avoid problems, it is necessary to monitor the acid composition of the soil. If the acid balance has increased, you can solve the problem with:
- ground limestone;
- dolomite flour;
- lime fluff.
The main plant pests are:
- aphids and thrips;
- scale insects and spider mites;
- scale insect.
For the prevention and destruction of pests, experienced gardeners recommend Fitoverm or Actellik. If insects have already colonized the privet, then you will have to spray at least 4 times with breaks of 2 weeks.
Conclusion
Oval-leaved privet is an unpretentious semi-or evergreen shrub, depending on the variety. This plant becomes a real decoration of a garden or park, which is why it is highly valued by landscape designers. Bushes can be cut into different shapes: cones, balls, dense cushions called cariocas.
