Q.
I have a narrow area and the local Vegas nurseries have Privets (L. Japonicum)
which have been espaliered and was thinking that might work well. However, I
have read on various blogs that birds eat the berries and they get dropped in
other areas of the yard/gardens, sprouting up all over. They say it is
considered an invasive species in many areas.
Have you found this problem to be
true and if so, is there anything that can be done so that the plant will not
produce berries? I was also looking for info on the extent to which I would
need to prune the privet, it to keep it to appx a 6×10 espalier (it will go in
a back upper planting area making access to it not very easy). If you have an
educated guess as to whether this would require 1x year or 10x yr, etc., I
would appreciate it.
I have a narrow area and the local Vegas nurseries have Privets (L. Japonicum)
which have been espaliered and was thinking that might work well. However, I
have read on various blogs that birds eat the berries and they get dropped in
other areas of the yard/gardens, sprouting up all over. They say it is
considered an invasive species in many areas.
Have you found this problem to be
true and if so, is there anything that can be done so that the plant will not
produce berries? I was also looking for info on the extent to which I would
need to prune the privet, it to keep it to appx a 6×10 espalier (it will go in
a back upper planting area making access to it not very easy). If you have an
educated guess as to whether this would require 1x year or 10x yr, etc., I
would appreciate it.
A.
I have not found this to be true in desert landscapes where we can control most
growth by where water is applied with drip emitters. There are many invasive
species in California and Florida that are not invasive in home landscapes in
the desert for this reason. However, invasive species can be a problem in
persistent or perennial waterways such as the Colorado River basin, washes like
the Las Vegas Wash and irrigation ditches. So you do have to be careful with
invasive species but in the middle of the desert with no such waterways it is
not usually a problem.
I have not found this to be true in desert landscapes where we can control most
growth by where water is applied with drip emitters. There are many invasive
species in California and Florida that are not invasive in home landscapes in
the desert for this reason. However, invasive species can be a problem in
persistent or perennial waterways such as the Colorado River basin, washes like
the Las Vegas Wash and irrigation ditches. So you do have to be careful with
invasive species but in the middle of the desert with no such waterways it is
not usually a problem.
They
are not terribly fast growers but I think you could have a pretty nice espalier
going in about three to four years. Most of the pruning (if I am picturing what
you are trying to do correctly) would probably be done with a hedge shears
after the main stems have been established and anchored to the trellis. During
the establishment period you would want to push stem growth as quickly as
possible with deep irrigations and light fertilizer applications about four
times a year. Pruning should be done about monthly during establishment and to
keep the trellis looking neat and trim.
are not terribly fast growers but I think you could have a pretty nice espalier
going in about three to four years. Most of the pruning (if I am picturing what
you are trying to do correctly) would probably be done with a hedge shears
after the main stems have been established and anchored to the trellis. During
the establishment period you would want to push stem growth as quickly as
possible with deep irrigations and light fertilizer applications about four
times a year. Pruning should be done about monthly during establishment and to
keep the trellis looking neat and trim.