Wax-leaf ligustrum (Ligustrum japonicum), a broadleaf evergreen, blooms with panicles of fragrant, white flowers from mid-summer to autumn. Reaching a mature height of 15 to 25 feet with an equal spread, wax-leaf ligustrum makes a good screening or hedging plant, or a background addition to the mixed border. Salt tolerant, this ligustrum is not particular about soil or sun, although it does grow best in full sun or light shade. The variegated cultivar "Variegatum" has more pronounced variegation of white leaf margins and white blotches when planted in full sun.
Nurseries sell wax-leaf ligustrum, as they do other evergreen shrubs, as container-grown or balled-and-burlapped plants. Produce your own bareroot cuttings by taking semi-ripe cuttings in summer and hardwood cuttings in winter or propagate from seed. Sow seed in containers and keep over winter in a cold frame. Pot up seedlings or rooted cuttings and grow them for a season before planting in the landscape.
Early spring and fall are the best planting times for wax-leaf ligustrum to give roots time to grow into surrounding soils before more stressful environmental conditions occur. Plant wax-leaf ligustrum during summer months, as well, in locations with cool summer temperatures. Fall-planted wax-leaf ligustrum benefits from winter rains. Until roots grow beyond the original rootball, the plant tends to dry out more quickly than the surrounding soil.
Container-grown plants can be planted at almost any time of the year, especially if potted plants are not root bound. When roots have adequate growing space within the container, the plant suffers less shock when planted due to little or no root loss, compared to root-bound plants that must have roots severed. Repot root-bound plants into larger pots and wait until spring to plant.
Thoroughly water container-grown wax-leaf ligustrum the day before planting. The planting bed should be moist from rainfall or irrigation, but not wet or soggy. A handful of soil in the hand should crumble and not stick together. When planting in individual holes, water the hole and allow the water to drain before planting the ligustrum. Supplying adequate moisture not only stimulates root growth, but it also helps prevent sunburn, which develops as yellowing or browning between leaf veins under conditions of too much light and heat and too little moisture. Sunburn occurs most frequently on plants growing in compacted soil. Supplement rainfall during periods of drought to prevent the root ball from drying out. Allow soil to dry out in the upper one to two inches before irrigating to avoid over-watering.
- The American Horticultural Society A to Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants; Christopher Brickell and Judith D. Zuk
- University of Arizona Cooperative Extension: Shrub Pruning
- New Mexico State University: Issue: March 5
- University of Minnesota: Evergreen Trees and Shrubs
- Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service: New Plants from Cuttings
- North Carolina State University: Planting Shrubs
- Cherry Leaf Tree Farm: Wax-Leaf Ligustrum: Japanese Ligustrum
- Bay Area Gardening: 64 Practical Essays by Master Gardeners
- Kansas State University Agricultural Experimental Station and Cooperative Extension Service: Watering Newly Planted and Young Trees and Shrubs
- Hemera Technologies/PhotoObjects.net/Getty Images