Jack Frost Ligustrum – Ligustrum japonicum ‘Jack Frost’ (Variegated Japanese Privet, Live Starter Plants)

Jack Frost Ligustrum (Ligustrum japonicum ‘Jack Frost’) is a fast-growing, dense evergreen privet with a bright, frosted look. Its glossy dark-green leaves are edged in creamy white, and the lighter new growth gives the whole plant a crisp two-tone effect that lifts dull corners of the garden. Upright and bushy, the Jack Frost Ligustrum fills in quickly to make an excellent privacy screen, windbreak, or clipped hedge — and it can be limbed up into a handsome small tree or shaped into topiary.

Why Grow Jack Frost Ligustrum?

• Bright variegated foliage – glossy green leaves edged in creamy white for year-round color and a frosted, two-tone look.
• Fast privacy – quick, dense growth makes a great evergreen hedge, screen, or windbreak.
• Tough & adaptable – drought- and salt-spray-tolerant once established, deer-resistant, and easy in most soils.
• Versatile form – shear it as a formal hedge, grow it as an informal screen, or train it into a small tree or topiary.
• Low-maintenance – responds beautifully to pruning and shaping.

Looking for more evergreen structure and screening plants? Browse our Shrubs & Bushes and Trees collections.

Plant Specifications at a Glance

• Botanical name: Ligustrum japonicum ‘Jack Frost’ (variegated Japanese privet, wax-leaf privet)
• Plant type: Fast-growing broadleaf evergreen shrub or small tree
• Plant family: Oleaceae (the olive family)
• Mature size: about 8–12 feet tall and 6–8 feet wide; easily kept smaller as a hedge
• Foliage: Glossy dark-green leaves edged in creamy white, with lighter new growth
• Flowers & berries: Creamy-white spring flower panicles (strongly scented), followed by blue-black berries
• Notable traits: Fast-growing; drought- and salt-tolerant; deer-resistant; takes shearing and topiary well
• Cold Hardiness Zones: 7–10

Jack Frost Ligustrum Care & Growing Guide

This is a tough, low-maintenance grower. Follow these guidelines:

• Sunlight: Full sun to partial shade. A little afternoon shade helps keep the variegation crisp and prevents leaf scorch in the hottest climates.
• Water: Water regularly to establish a strong root system, and more in extreme heat. Once mature it’s moderately drought-tolerant and needs only occasional watering.
• Soil: Adapts to most soils; prefers well-drained ground and dislikes constantly wet feet.
• Cold Hardiness Zone: 7–10.
• Pruning: Responds very well to pruning — shear 2–3 times a year to keep it dense and shaped (keep the top a bit narrower than the base so light reaches the lower branches). Mulch to suppress weeds and hold moisture.

Please note — responsible planting: Japanese privet self-seeds from bird-spread berries and is considered invasive in parts of the Southeast (it is no longer recommended for use in Florida). Please check your local guidelines before planting, and trimming off the flowers/berries helps limit unwanted spread.

Good to know: privet berries and leaves are toxic to people, dogs, cats, and horses if eaten — the berries are strictly ornamental — so plant accordingly and keep them away from children and pets.

Ways to Use Jack Frost Ligustrum in the Landscape

• Fast evergreen privacy hedge or screen
• Windbreak and background plantings
• Clipped formal hedge or topiary
• Limbed-up small specimen tree
• Bright accent for dull corners

It pairs well with other evergreen screening plants. Gardeners often combine it with the variegated Variegated Chinese Privet, the glossy Glossy Privet, or fragrant Sweet Viburnum.

What You’ll Receive

These are live Jack Frost Ligustrum starter plants grown and shipped by Carlo’s Plant Farm. Plants are less than 12 inches tall when we ship them. The photos in this listing depict mature plants of the correct species so you can see how they will look as they grow. Choose your preferred plant bundle size using the options above.

Due to different state laws, we reserve the right to charge extra fees in order to comply with those laws if necessary.

Ordering, Shipping & Returns

Every order ships free and is insured against loss or damage in transit. For full details on how we pack and send your plants, processing and delivery times, and what to do in the rare case of a problem, please review our Shipping Policy and Terms & Conditions before purchasing. By placing an order you agree to those terms.

Jack Frost Ligustrum FAQ