Solange
Shohin
They can be either deciduous or evergreen, depending on the variety.
A Privet Story
- Thread starter brewmeister83
- Start date
leatherback
The Treedeemer
Privets are grown in hedges mostly. I find they do drop their leaves at some point in winter, but very much dependent of frost to do so.
Bonsailane
Mame
Thanks for the input !
I really enjoy this story !
I really enjoy this story !
brewmeister83
Chumono
Spring 2018 Update (1/3)
As I mentioned in a couple earlier threads this year, I suffered from a heavy case of depression last year. In short, the stress I had from a bunch of situations plunged me into a state where I basically became a zombie and lost my love for everything nature related, I found no joy in hiking my favorite trails and being in nature, and I completely stopped caring for my bonsai and left them to the mercy of the elements. Don't really want to elaborate further, but that's the gist of it, but it's probably been the darkest year of my adult life so far. So, needless to say, after finally pulling myself out of the hole I was mentally in, I arrived at my parents old place in late April to assess the damage and rescue what plants had survived. Thankfully, when I started collecting material years back, I had chosen species that were fairly tough and could take the abuse southern New England had to offer, so the majority of my trees had survived, even if they looked a little worse for the wear.
When I walked up to the Privet I still feared the absolute worse though. It had been left up on its stilts since spring 2017, and hadn't been watered during the summer or mulched in and covered during the winter. I surely thought the severe summer desiccation and exposure to the brutal winter winds would have surely killed off all the roots. But to my surprise, the old thing was in the process of budding out. It had lost a couple of its weaker branches and the deadwood had been invaded by bracken fungus, but other than that it was alive and kicking. Just goes to show how tough of a species they are, and why they're such a good beginner plant - an entire year of outright neglect and it was still growing! Not really all that proud to admit that, but at least now I know what this tree is capable of enduring...
Since it's too big to move by myself in its box with soil, and it hasn't been re-potted since it was first collected in 2014, I took the opportunity to remove it and clean/inspect its roots before hauling it up to my new yard. The soil had really broken down and compacted over the years, but the box was still filled with plenty of healthy root, some as long as a meter once I got them all combed out. After a quick trim of the top and bottom so it would fit in my car, I whisked it up to my apartment to be potted up in its new home.
As I mentioned in a couple earlier threads this year, I suffered from a heavy case of depression last year. In short, the stress I had from a bunch of situations plunged me into a state where I basically became a zombie and lost my love for everything nature related, I found no joy in hiking my favorite trails and being in nature, and I completely stopped caring for my bonsai and left them to the mercy of the elements. Don't really want to elaborate further, but that's the gist of it, but it's probably been the darkest year of my adult life so far. So, needless to say, after finally pulling myself out of the hole I was mentally in, I arrived at my parents old place in late April to assess the damage and rescue what plants had survived. Thankfully, when I started collecting material years back, I had chosen species that were fairly tough and could take the abuse southern New England had to offer, so the majority of my trees had survived, even if they looked a little worse for the wear.
When I walked up to the Privet I still feared the absolute worse though. It had been left up on its stilts since spring 2017, and hadn't been watered during the summer or mulched in and covered during the winter. I surely thought the severe summer desiccation and exposure to the brutal winter winds would have surely killed off all the roots. But to my surprise, the old thing was in the process of budding out. It had lost a couple of its weaker branches and the deadwood had been invaded by bracken fungus, but other than that it was alive and kicking. Just goes to show how tough of a species they are, and why they're such a good beginner plant - an entire year of outright neglect and it was still growing! Not really all that proud to admit that, but at least now I know what this tree is capable of enduring...
Since it's too big to move by myself in its box with soil, and it hasn't been re-potted since it was first collected in 2014, I took the opportunity to remove it and clean/inspect its roots before hauling it up to my new yard. The soil had really broken down and compacted over the years, but the box was still filled with plenty of healthy root, some as long as a meter once I got them all combed out. After a quick trim of the top and bottom so it would fit in my car, I whisked it up to my apartment to be potted up in its new home.
brewmeister83
Chumono
Spring 2018 Update (2/3)
After a short 15 min. drive to my new place, the tree was hefted out of the car and carried to the back yard where I reconstructed its growing box with a new hardware cloth bottom to allow for better drainage and air exchange, keeping the root pad moist with a hose on a regular basis. I then selectively pruned out dead twigs and unnecessary vertical branching & further reduced the downward taproot stubs that had remained from collection even closer to the trunk. After a quick mix of a coarse substrate of a ratio of 2/3 inorganic to 1/3 organic, the tree was potted up, and the bracken fungus cleaned from the deadwood. After cleaning the deadwood I had noticed several areas of dieback that had developed and cleaned the dead bark off those. The entire front of the nebari is now shari and presents a new, more challenging styling change in my opinion - although I think it is completely doable if carved out appropriately.
After a short 15 min. drive to my new place, the tree was hefted out of the car and carried to the back yard where I reconstructed its growing box with a new hardware cloth bottom to allow for better drainage and air exchange, keeping the root pad moist with a hose on a regular basis. I then selectively pruned out dead twigs and unnecessary vertical branching & further reduced the downward taproot stubs that had remained from collection even closer to the trunk. After a quick mix of a coarse substrate of a ratio of 2/3 inorganic to 1/3 organic, the tree was potted up, and the bracken fungus cleaned from the deadwood. After cleaning the deadwood I had noticed several areas of dieback that had developed and cleaned the dead bark off those. The entire front of the nebari is now shari and presents a new, more challenging styling change in my opinion - although I think it is completely doable if carved out appropriately.
brewmeister83
Chumono
Spring 2018 Update (3/3)
Fast forward to this week, and the tree is responding well to its new soil and weekly fertilizer doses. Although visibly not as vigorous as it has been in the past (8-10 inch extensions not 2 feet+) the tree is recovering and growing strongly with several new shoots. It has even put out a small display of flowers this year, which I thought it wouldn't do considering its previous year of no fertilizer or nutrient additions. These were removed so that the plant will focus energy on growing foliage, not fruit. Even though I am thrilled with its recovery so far, I have one concern for the plant. I've known from the first year I grew this tree that it was more basally dominant, and this can be clearly seen in its most recent pic below, the two lowest branches are definitely fuller. I am torn, I want to allow the tree to recover this year and not cut anymore off of it, but I am worried not pruning back the new growth on the lower branching and directing/balancing energy to the top of the tree will eventually cause it to abandon the remaining branching on its top half which is visibly weaker with roughly 50% less foliage. I'm completely open to suggestions from people who may have had a similar experience with a broadleaf species.
Fast forward to this week, and the tree is responding well to its new soil and weekly fertilizer doses. Although visibly not as vigorous as it has been in the past (8-10 inch extensions not 2 feet+) the tree is recovering and growing strongly with several new shoots. It has even put out a small display of flowers this year, which I thought it wouldn't do considering its previous year of no fertilizer or nutrient additions. These were removed so that the plant will focus energy on growing foliage, not fruit. Even though I am thrilled with its recovery so far, I have one concern for the plant. I've known from the first year I grew this tree that it was more basally dominant, and this can be clearly seen in its most recent pic below, the two lowest branches are definitely fuller. I am torn, I want to allow the tree to recover this year and not cut anymore off of it, but I am worried not pruning back the new growth on the lower branching and directing/balancing energy to the top of the tree will eventually cause it to abandon the remaining branching on its top half which is visibly weaker with roughly 50% less foliage. I'm completely open to suggestions from people who may have had a similar experience with a broadleaf species.
coh
Imperial Masterpiece
Glad to hear that both you and the tree made it through the past year!
Not sure about your question. I do have one privet but haven't had it long enough to really be sure about the basally dominant issue, though mine also seems to prefer to throw the strongest shoots from lower down. The root system looks decent in your photos and the tree is growing well, so I don't think you'd hurt it by selectively cutting back some of the lower growth.
Mine just finished blooming and I have to say I have a love/hate relationship with the fragrance. It is a little strong but we had privet hedges around our house, so the smell kind of takes me back...
Not sure about your question. I do have one privet but haven't had it long enough to really be sure about the basally dominant issue, though mine also seems to prefer to throw the strongest shoots from lower down. The root system looks decent in your photos and the tree is growing well, so I don't think you'd hurt it by selectively cutting back some of the lower growth.
Mine just finished blooming and I have to say I have a love/hate relationship with the fragrance. It is a little strong but we had privet hedges around our house, so the smell kind of takes me back...
brewmeister83
Chumono
Thanks for the suggestion, I guess I lucked out with the fragrance on mine, maybe it's specie/variety related? My best description is a mix between very mild lilac and white clover, quite lovely actually. Can only image what the blooms will look/smell like in 10 years when this tree has some more ramification.
coh
Imperial Masterpiece
The flowers on yours do look different than mine, mine have longer/leggier flower clusters. Yours look more like the ones we had growing up. In any case, it's a smell that is hard to describe. I usually just say "smells like privet" 
JudyB
Queen of the Nuts
BobbyLane
Imperial Masterpiece
i always wondered what you did with this one, cheers for the update!
since my privet died, ive kind of gone off privets. the base on this is outstanding though, look forward to future updates.
since my privet died, ive kind of gone off privets. the base on this is outstanding though, look forward to future updates.
brewmeister83
Chumono
Sorry to hear that! And don't worry, now that I'm back there will be plenty of future updates as this beast develops!
brewmeister83
Chumono
If you insist
Spring 2019:
Going to let this grow and recover for one more year before I start working on it again. It responded well to my intensive TLC last year after the previous year of neglect. Foliage density is about 3x what it was beginning of 2018 (see last pic in post #86 for comparison). Due to a new job, I won't have nearly as much time to work on this as I had previously, so for this year it's just flower removal, weeding, fungus removal/lime sulfur, fertilizing, and letting it grow and strengthen back up. If it continues to recover as much as I think it will, I'll begin work on it again next year.
Forrestford
Shohin
Any updates on this beast?
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