Beautiful Privet

The blooms on the privet bushes are fading now, but they certainly were glorious this year. I suppose there will be a bumper crop of blue berries this fall, to help them in their quest for world domination. Spreading by both berries and underground runners, they cannot fail in the hospitable southeast. Their genus is Ligustrum and they are a smorgasbord board for wildlife. The flowers attract all kinds of bees, wasps, and other pollen eaters, so beware ye that are allergic to stings. However, the insects are usually so busy at their tasks that even if they bump into you they will get up and fly on without stinging. The berries are eaten by all kinds of animals and birds and they help in the dispersal of the seeds, leaving seeds along fence lines and the few other places where privet is not already. In Winter deer browse the stems to bareness depending on other available foods, but they never damage it enough to kill it.
It is for sale in many nurseries, especially the variegated variety.And there are many varieties and species out there. Some imbecile had them planted at Tiger Town, sculpted into small trees. Cute. Although I guess they are cheap, or should be. The main expense would be in planting, and they are not likely to die or have to be replaced.
They are generally for sale on ebay. Once I emailed a seller on ebay and said I was glad someone had found a way to get rid of their privet, but got no answer, Imagine that!
Originally the common name privet came from "privacy hedge" because it was usually planted as a screen around the privey.
Just like the invasive Wisteria, I am usually not aware of how much of it is around until it flowers. And like Wisteria, it is beautiful when it flowers. But harden your heart. It is in a class with kudzu, forcing native vegetation to the brink. In forests it competes with trees as well as other understory, reducing forest yield and taking the water and nutrients for itself.
In my experience the best way to rid yourself of it is to not let it get started in the first place. It is easy to pull up when it is small and when the ground is wet. Goats love it and if you keep them fenced in with privet they will destroy it with repeated browsing, but it takes a while. I got rid of a good bit of it around my house by hiring someone to cut it down while I followed them painting the stumps with a toothbrush dipped in a shrub killer. I used it undiluted . This concentrates the herbicide to a small area and puts the poison where you want it to go.
Killing the large plants of course does nothing for the zillions of seed that lie in wait for their chance. I pull up small seedlings in the yard all the time. I have observed that running over them with a mower just flattens them out and they grow horizontal. So... Remain Vigilant!!