Ligustrum

My place has white-tailed deer. I want to plant some kind of border on the long driveway for appearance sake. Deer should not be engorging my efforts towards this goal. I do not want any hedge of any sort. Want something the riding mower can maneuver around.

The soil along the driveway border is around 5" deep, heavily laden with gravel. Soil is a brown clay. Below 5" is caliche. Can ligustrum work in this kind of central TX environment and soil? Plan to place these 80" apart, and trim like a tree, not a bush.

Reply to
Dioclese
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Driveway borders is often a landscaping mistake. Why would you want your driveway to look like an airline run way? Why focus attention on the driveway? Instead, create a bump or feature that will complement the house or front door, not the garage.

Reply to
Phisherman

Ligustrum is on the do not plant list in Central Texas, but here is a link with about as much information as you will need to plant anything in both deep and shallow soils. In your searching on the page, there is a pdf version of a booklet you can get for free at one of the listed nurseries.

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Reply to
Jangchub

Let me count:

House faces directly south, faces away from the street behind a stand of oaks and ashe junipers as viewed from the street.

The route from the front gate from the gravel portion of the driveway to the front of the house has a temporary rock/gravel/concrete path for footing. Steep incline. Plan to stairstep with concrete in the future. Don't want to mess with shrub or otherwise border while doing that.

General area from street along driveway and much further back away from street is extremely lacking except for 3 trimmed ashe junipers. I cut all the native grasses and brush back for a fireblock.

The driveway DOES look line a runway due to the surrounding lack of foliage. Its an awful long driveway like an airplane runway to additionally add to that appearance. It is slightly curved however.

I plan to put the ligustrum in the middle of the run of the concrete portion of driveway. Halfway between the street and garage. Run is 150' long for the concrete portion that terminates at the stand-alone garage.

Reply to
Dioclese

ligustrum they used for a left side property line. It was in north San Anonio. The same ligustrum is still there.

Thanks for the link.

Reply to
Dioclese

Yes, I know. It was overused much like the way Photinia was used and most of that is not open to a virus in the soil and most of the Photinia's are now perishing up in DFW.

I have Ligustrums out back. They are evergreen and give shelter to the birds, but I wouldn't plant them anywhere again. It's on the do not plant list because it is pushing out native species due to its hardiness.

Reply to
Jangchub

Again, that's odd. The ligustrums didn't go anywhere else except where they were planted. They made plenty of those blue-colored berries. Maybe the lawnmower inhibited any new growth? But that makes no sense either in regards to pushing out native species statement. Most lawns/yards don't contain native species. Puzzled.

Reply to
Dioclese

It depends on where you live. If the climate is right, ligustrum is easily spread by seed. It is where I live. I have a WWF and TPaW Certified Backyard Habitat and 90 percent of my plants are natives.

Reply to
Jangchub

Couldn't locate any place to beat the price. 3 for 10 bucks. Bout' a foot tall each ligustrum. Don't see this plant displacing anything locally, ever, based on what I've seen in the past.

Ever hear of a Texas Ash?

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the plastic tag identifier on 3 such trees landscaping a local parking lot. Want to mix up the local native trees with something else that will survice a local drought. Will this tree, if prolific, displace the local trees?

Reply to
Dioclese

Obviously a native tree is fine. Ligustrum is on a DO NOT PLANT list.

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Reply to
Jangchub

Their basis on the top of the page is "They grow outside desired boundaries, out-competing native species." Not valid from where I sit.

Based on my soil type and lack of rain, don't see how any could spread to begin with. I can see this in looser soil with adequate rainfall or irrigation. The birds and browsers don't bother these type berries. If they per chance did, see first sentence. Any runners will be mowed down, if growth pops up. Your area may be more susceptible as you have bottom land.

They may not survive due to the soil type and want for water in the first season. If so, I'll try the Texas Ash next season in their current location.

Reply to
Dioclese

I get an average of 31 inches of rain per year. I would not call that adequate rainfall for an exotic species. I do have very good soil for living in this area where caliche is sometimes only down six inches. I have three ligustrums out back, but I will remove them when the other plants around them are sizeable to support the birds which live out there. They are always chlorotic. Do what you want. I just don't recommend using them. There are way too many other useful plants which will perform well for decades.

Reply to
Jangchub

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