Privet Bonsai Care

Privet is an evergreen shrub. It is found all across the UK and is commonly used as hedging. This species is usually Ligustrum Ovalifolium, which is what I have. It is a very easy tree to care for and it is extremely robust.

I started my privet bonsai from a little twig that I snapped off a hedge. I grew this cutting and ended up taking more cuttings from it.

I now 3 privets. The first one I am keeping small, the second one I am trying to grow large and the third is a forest, which I made from cuttings taken from my original cutting.

You can see the progress of all 3 trees in these 3 separate Youtube playlists

What Is The Natural Habitat Of An Privet?

Privet originates from Korea and Japan, but is now found all across Europe. It can also be found in America where it has been classed as an invasive species.

Privet is really tough, it will pretty much grow anywhere!

What Soil Do Privet Bonsai Need?

I use my standard mix of equal parts Perlite/Molar Clay/Compost for my privet bonsai. However, Privet is a very aggressive grower and can grow it can survive in pretty much any soil.

Obviously we should give it the best soil we can, so a good free draining mix will be the best option to help promote fine rooting.

(For more info on soil read – A General Guide To Bonsai Soil)

How Do you Water A Privet Bonsai?

Privets are actually part of the Oleaceae family, meaning they are related to Olives.

Just like olives, privet bonsai can handle some mild drought, but it is best to keep the privet well watered and moist at all times. This will get you the best results and keep your tree healthy.

(For more info you can read –How To Water A Bonsai)

How Much Sun Light Does A Privet Bonsai Need?

Privet bonsai can take full sun.

As I already mentioned they can grow pretty much anywhere and are even seen as invasive at times. This is exactly why they are used as hedges …they will grow in pretty much any growing conditions.

If you put them they are in shade, they will probably be fine, but of course not grow as quickly due to the lower levels of light. If you want your privet to grow like crazy, give it as much sunlight as possible.

I keep mine outside and that is more than enough for them …although I do have one growing under a grow light, and that extra light certainly makes it grow even more aggressively than the ones that are only get sunlight.

How Hardy Are Privet Bonsai?

Privet bonsai are fully hardy and can easily handle freezing temperatures. As they originate from Korea and Japan, they should be able to hand quite low temperatures when grown in the ground. They should be able to handle -5 to -10°C (23 to 14°F)

However, In bonsai pots they may not be able to go this low and may need a little protection if you have very cold winters. However, in the UK, they need no protection, I leave mine out all winter long and they are fine.

How Often Do You Feed A Privet Bonsai?

I feed my privet bonsai once a month with a general purpose fertiliser throughout the growing season.

(For more info you can read – Do You Need To Use “Bonsai” Fertiliser?)

How Do Privet Bonsai Respond to Pruning?

As a hedging plant, privet responds incredibly well to pruning and you can build ramification very easily. Every time you prune it will send out many back buds.

You can also hard prune the tree back to basically a stump and it will just keep pushing out new shoots.

(For more info you can read- How To Prune A Bonsai Tree)

Repotting A Privet Bonsai

Privet bonsai should be repotted in spring. Privets are extremely vigorous and could probably be repotted at any point and it wouldn’t affect them.

They can take extremely aggressive root work. It is often said that it is almost impossible to kill a privet and I believe this may be true.

(For more info you can read – How To Repot A Bonsai Tree)

Wiring A Privet Bonsai

Privet bonsai can be wired. They also can be easily styled with clip and grow if you are not a fan of wiring. However, wiring is going to be the best option, especially for the primary structure.

Privet will grow quickly, so you need to watch out for the wire biting into the branch as this can start happening rather fast.

(For more info read – Why Do We Wire Bonsai?)

What Is The Leaf Pattern Of A Privet Bonsai?

Privet bonsai have an opposite leaf pattern. They are also evergreen, however, the variety I have seems to be semi-ever green, maybe even more on the deciduous side of things as it will often lose all of its leaves over winter.

What Pests Does A Privet Bonsai Suffer From?

Privet bonsai are quite pest resistant but they can suffer from various garden pests such as aphids.

Caterpillars can also be found trying to build nests (Is that the word? cocoons? I don’t know). So you will sometimes see the leaves stuck together and a caterpillar hiding inside and it is going to be best to remove these from your tree.

Can You Propagate A Privet Bonsai?

Privet bonsai are easily propagated from cuttings and air layers. They root extremely easily and very easy to propogate.

The best material is always going to come from yamadori. Digging up an old hedge is going to give you a huge thick trunk and this going to much better for bonsai than a cutting. (My privets are from cuttings …and they are painfully skinny)

What Is The Growth Rate Of A Privet Bonsai?

Privet bonsai are quite fast growers. However, they can take a while to thicken up and they need to put on significant length to gain any real thickness to them.

This means you need to let them grow really tall and then cut them back hard to develop a trunk. This is why it is easier to dig up an old hedge with an already established trunk as it will have grown tall for years and actually achieved the thickness you would want for a bonsai.

Should You Get A Privet Bonsai?

Privet bonsai are a great tree for beginners. They grow fast and are very easy to care for.

They are very forgiving and can take real abuse. If mistakes are made, the my normally throw new shoots out and the mistake will be forgotten in no time.

I would suggest you start a privet from an air layer or by digging up a hedge. It can take a long time to get a thick trunk on a privet, so starting from small cuttings like I did is not ideal, but regardless, you need a privet in your bonsai collection.

You can read more about –Is Privet A Good Tree For Bonsai?

You can also follow my privets development – Little Privet Bonsai Progression (2016 – Now)