
Heather N. Kolich, ANR Agent, UGA Extension Forsyth County
Chinese privet has held the #1 ranking for worst invasive plant in the Georgia Forestry Commission’s Dirty Dozen list since 2009. In use since the mid-1800’s as hedges and ornamental plantings, the shrub escaped cultivation during the 1930s and had colonized forests across the southeastern U.S. by the 1950s. Birds and wildlife eat the berries and disperse seeds to natural landscapes. Newly established privet shrubs then spread through root suckers and form dense thickets that outcompete native plants and disrupt the ecological balance of the area. Birds and wildlife that depend on the native plants move away, further diminishing the biodiversity of the ecosystem. Because it is evergreen, privet is easy to spot right now, and winter is a good opportunity to take control measures. For small plants, spray leaves with a 3-5 percent solution of glyphosate (the active ingredient in herbicides such as Roundup). For larger shrubs, cut off the branches and immediately paint the privet stump with concentrated glyphosate or triclopyr (found in products such as Brush-B-Gone).