Variegated Chinese Privet – Ligustrum sinense ‘Variegatum’ (Live Starter Plant)

The Variegated Chinese Privet (Ligustrum sinense ‘Variegatum’) is a fast-growing, semi-evergreen shrub prized for its bright, variegated foliage. The green leaves are edged in soft gray and creamy white, so they light up shady corners and add year-round color. In late spring it produces airy panicles of small, fragrant creamy-white flowers. As a result, easy to grow and quick to fill in, the Variegated Chinese Privet shears beautifully into a hedge, privacy screen, or windscreen, making it a popular choice for colorful, low-fuss living walls.

Why Grow a Variegated Chinese Privet?

• Colorful variegated foliage – green leaves bordered in gray and creamy white bring season-long brightness to beds and screens.
• Fast-growing privacy – quick, dense growth makes a hedge, screen, or windbreak in a hurry.
• Fragrant spring flowers – clusters of creamy-white blooms appear in late spring.
• Tough & adaptable – also handles most soils, sun or partial shade, and is moderately drought-tolerant once established.
• Deer-resistant & shear-friendly – deer tend to leave it alone, and it responds well to regular trimming for crisp, formal shapes.

Looking for more shrubs and screening plants? Browse our Shrubs & Bushes and Outdoor Plants collections.

Plant Specifications at a Glance

• Botanical name: Ligustrum sinense ‘Variegatum’ (variegated Chinese privet)
• Plant type: Semi-evergreen shrub or small tree (evergreen in mild climates, semi-deciduous in colder ones)
• Plant family: Oleaceae (the olive family)
• Mature size: about 8–10 feet tall and 6–8 feet wide (easily kept smaller with shearing)
• Foliage: Green leaves with gray and creamy-white margins
• Flowers: Fragrant, creamy-white panicles in late spring
• Notable traits: Fast-growing; deer-resistant; takes shearing well; tolerates poor soils and air pollution
• Cold Hardiness Zones: 7–10

Variegated Chinese Privet Care & Growing Guide

This is a low-maintenance, easygoing shrub. Follow these guidelines:

• Sunlight: Full sun to partial shade. Specifically, the brightest variegation comes in full sun, though it tolerates light shade well.
• Water: Water regularly to establish a strong root system, and more often in extreme heat. Once mature, it is moderately drought-tolerant and needs only occasional watering.
• Soil: Adapts to most soils, though it prefers well-drained ground. In addition, mulching helps suppress weeds, retain moisture, and keep roots cool.
• Cold Hardiness Zone: 7–10. It is evergreen in mild winters. However, it may drop some leaves where winters are colder.
• Pruning: Responds very well to pruning, so shear 2 to 3 times per year to keep a crisp hedge shape. In addition, snip out any all-green shoots that revert so the variegation stays bright.

Good to know: the foliage and berries of privet are toxic to people, pets, and livestock if eaten, so keep them out of reach. The straight species of Chinese privet is considered invasive across much of the Southeast. However, this variegated cultivar (‘Variegatum’) is regarded as a largely sterile, non-invasive form, and is the cultivar excluded from Florida’s noxious-weed list. Even so, it is still smart to prune any reverted all-green growth and check your local guidelines before planting.

Ways to Use Variegated Chinese Privet in the Landscape

This bright, fast hedge plant fits many screening needs. Popular uses for the Variegated Chinese Privet include:

• Colorful privacy hedge or screen
• Also a windscreen along property lines and borders
• Bright accent or specimen in a mixed bed
• Similarly, formal, sheared shapes and living walls
• Brightening shady corners with light, variegated foliage

It pairs well with other hedging and structure plants. For example, gardeners often combine it with the larger Lucidum Ligustrum, the tidy Japanese Boxwood, or the native Wax Myrtle.

What You’ll Receive

These are live Variegated Chinese Privet starter plants, grown and shipped by Carlo’s Plant Farm. Each plant is less than 12 inches tall when we ship it. The listing photos show mature plants of the same species. That way, you can see how yours will look as they grow. Finally, choose your preferred bundle size using the options above.

Also, due to different state laws, we reserve the right to charge extra fees where necessary to comply.

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.

Variegated Chinese Privet FAQ

Growing & Care Questions

Safety, Hardiness & Shipping Questions