Thanks for the lead! Looking online at Privets, this definitely looks like to be a Golden Privet! Where they are now there is no deer problem, it is where I want to move them (a more open field area). They are at the end of our driveway not and there is just now enough room for them to grow plus the branches get broken in the winter with the snow blower. I now know they also need full sun which they are not in now.

this is privet. before you move it make sure to fertilize it with triclopyr.

here are the complete care instructions:

http://www.aces.edu/pubs/docs/A/ANR-1468/ANR-1468.pdf

some better alternatives might be:

burford holly

littleleaf boxwood

japanese azalea

mountain laurel

rhododendron

berberis thunbergii

in case you dont understand caldwells humor in the above post..

its highly invasive.. get rid of it by killing it.. not moving it around ...

ken

How is it highly invasive and why would I trash them?

They are beautiful looking in the business landscaping I see in town, espeically now with the white flowers. They are also used as hedges. Typically are trimmed to be round in shape and add nice color to other green shrubs. I guess to each their own. Clearly they are popular in my area in well manucured gardens in town.

I clicked on that link and these are not chinese privets. They do not stay green in the winter, no blue berries, not a wild naturally occurring shrub in this spot. This is a picture of what mine are and what I describe seeing in person at other properties. Mine are currently untrimmed, had broken branches from the winter and from what I read, not getting enough sunlight due to the leaves turning darker green from the light green they should be.

no those are not chinese privets, but the control methods mentioned work for all of them. the privet in the above picture (golden privet) is sterile, however yours isn't golden privet it is Ligustrum ovafolium known as california privet. there are many cheap and easy to obtain alternatives to privet. My grandmother used to have a privet hedge (it is the same stuff you have) that grew into large trees and formed a thicket. Then the birds ate the berries and spread this crap all over the 2 acres of forest they own. It is a constant battle with this crap. I urge you to not plant it because within 20 years you will be having a similar problem. I listed alternatives but if you want something with a similar look why not try Golden Barberry? If you really like this stuff you can come dig up as much as you want! The more you get the better off I am! Read my article Common Plants of the South you Shouldn't plant, I hope you try to understand why you shouldn't use this. If you still must have the privet why not get some Ailanthus Altissima to go with it?

From what I read online I keep finding citations saying this:

The California privet (L. ovalifolium) and the Japanese privet (L. japonicum) are both appropriate for hedges and can typically be controlled in gardens and landscapes.

All sites also mention that the california prviet will have berries (black apparently) in the fall. Mine have never had berries of any kind. So I am a bit confused.

The shrub in the photo with the house is Ligustrum sinense 'Sunshine'. That's Monrovia's photo. It's a relatively new introduction and so far seems to be a great plant. Dark brown, wiry stems, lovely yellow foliage. Oh and 'sinensis' connotes Chinese. And it is not invasive.

yes but why not try something else, instead of a potential crap plant? as Form and Foliage pointed out it is a new introduction and it may not be stable. look what happened with pyrus calleryana 'bradford'.

Big difference between a tree with horrible architecture and a shrub. What's the worst that happens? You don't like it and pull it out after a few years. It's really lovely. I can't believe that I am saying that about a Ligustrum, but I am.