Ligustrum quihoui

Ligustrum quihoui, the Chinese privet, is a semi-evergreen privet species native to China that is distinguished by its particularly late and rich white flowering in summer - a feature that clearly distinguishes it from the common privet (Ligustrum vulgare) that flowers as early as June. Its growth form is wide and gracefully open, with elegant, arching hanging twigs at the end of the branches. Those hanging twig ends give the shrub or small tree a more elegant character than the stiff, upright common privet. At maturity, the plant grows 2 to 4 metres tall. Available from Smits as a multi-stemmed tree of 250/300 centimetres in height. The trunk has grey to grey-brown bark. The leaves are oval, glossy and dark green. Fresh green in spring. In summer, dark green and glossy. Chinese privet is semi-evergreen: in mild winters it keeps most of its leaves; in severe frosts it loses more leaves. In autumn, it loses its glossy green colour but does not shrink like an ordinary leaf looser. Flowering is its most special feature: from August to September, it blooms with large, panicle-shaped clusters of small white flowers. This late summer flowering is special at a time when few other shrubs and trees are still flowering. The scent is sweet and intense. After flowering, small, blue-black berries form that are decorative in autumn and winter. Growth is moderate. It prunes well but also thrives as a free, naturally grown shrub or small tree.