Looking great! Now just spray with some tricolphyr. (Others may elaborate on this)

Privet is highly invasive in many parts of the united states, and can spread terribly in the landscape. Poison oak, virginia creeper, and invasive honeysuckles love to grow in it. Replace it with something like american holly, red-tip photinia, or forsythia.

Privet is not a problem in my area. Many yards in our area have it, with no issues. I was looking for ideas of what is going on with the plants, not whether or not I should have them.

Rhizo, speaking of fungus, I did have a fungal problem on a couple of shrubs last year. It was a white fungus on the trunks, and it did kill two of the plants. That is why I am afraid something is spreading throughout the hedge.

On the trunks? Are you sure it was a fungus and not a scale insect of some sort?

Or a lichen?

Oh no, it was definitely a white fungus. It presented itself on the trunk outside of the bark, and when I peeled back the bark, it had invaded the inner wood. Initially, I sprayed with Daconil. That seemed to help a little bit, but only on the surface.

I would like to know any updates on how your plants did, I’m researching privets for a hedge in my zone and I like these. Just curious!

They still do get a bit of the dusty powder look as the season progresses, but it doesn’t seem to cause any further issues. They still seem to grow well and quickly, provided the rabbits don’t chew them down when they are small. I’d recommend them.

Roxana, two suggestions:

If you haven’t been around a blooming privet hedge, do that before planting. I find the scent unpleasant.

Check to see if privet is considered invasive (spreading by seed via wind, water or birds and other critters into wild or untended areas) in your part of Indiana. It is in a few places in Indiana and other parts of the Great Lakes as well as most of the SE US. It may also seed aggressively in your garden area. I often ended up pulling privet in our yard in Cleveland though the nearest privet was several houses away. Just a heads up based on my experience.

And in my yard, privet seedlings almost look like a lawn :( (invasive as ****)